Heroes of Olympus Book 2: Rites of Blood
by The Helios Spirit
Summary: AU, Post-LH. Due to a twist of fate, Percy Jackson woke up earlier than Hera intended from his slumber. Ambushed and nearly killed by the two gorgons, he was left to die, when Bella Cullen finds his body and saves his life by turning him into a newborn vampire. Now, armed with an arsenal of vampiric powers, he sets off to continue his journey and the Great Prophecy. Rated T/M
1. Death Throes

**AN: Ok, so as you can clearly see, I've decided to start another fanfic. This doesn't mean that I'm abandoning The Chaos Chronicles, but I will try to focus some time between the two fanfics. I would like to thank The-ADVENTURE-begins for (accidentally) inspiring me to write this fic.**

**Enjoy this crossover!**

**Note: This is in an Alternate Universe, and has nothing to do with The Chaos Chronicles. Characters and events from that series shall not make an appearance. Also, I've never actually been to any of the places mentioned, so descriptions are not accurate.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own neither Twilight, Percy Jackson and the Olympians, or Heroes of Olympus. All rights go to Rick Riordan and Stephanie Meyer, respectively. Chapter one has been copied almost word for word from the first chapter of Son of Neptune, but hopefully I won't have to resort to that again in the future.**

Heroes of Olympus Book 2: Rites of Blood

_On December 13__th__, 2009, Perseus "Percy" Jackson, Son of Poseidon and Hero of Olympus, disappeared from his summer home at Camp Half-Blood, a safe haven for those of godly parentage. His girlfriend, Annabeth Chase, daughter of Athena, initiated a series of search groups to find the lost hero, in the hopes that he would be found and reunited with his friends and family._

_It was not to be so._

_On December 16__th__, 2009, new information was discovered in the form of three demigods: Piper McLean, daughter of Aphrodite; Leo Valdez, son of Hephaestus; and Jason Grace, Roman son of Jupiter, though he was plagued with Amnesia and could not remember his heritage. The three friends set out on a quest to release Hera, Queen of the Heavens from an Earthly prison created by Gaia, Primordial of the Earth. The quest was a success, and Jason, now Champion of Hera and Juno, rediscovered his Roman Heritage, and returned to Camp Half-Blood with his friends. _

_However, Jason's Roman heritage was not the only thing discovered. Hera and Juno, two faces of the same entity, were aware of the return of Gaia, and placing faith in an ancient prophecy, dubbed the "Prophecy of Seven", executed a plan to unite Greek and Roman demigods to face the new threat. In October of 2009, they had kidnapped Jason Grace from Camp Jupiter, the Roman equivalent to Camp Half-Blood, and erased his memories so that he would be trusted by the Greeks._

_The same was done to young Percy Jackson, who lay in slumber. The plan set by Hera and Juno was for him to awaken in April of 2010 at the Wolf House, the sacred place where Lupa, the Mother of Rome, made her home and trained Roman demigods, so that he would be trained by the Wolf goddess and learn the ways of the Legion._

_However, some things are not meant to go according to plan…_

Chapter 1 – Death Throes

_February 2010 – Somewhere north of Seattle_

The snake-haired ladies were starting to annoy Percy.

They should have died three days ago when he dropped a crate of bowling balls at a Bargain Mart. They should have died two days ago when he ran them over with a police car. They _definitely _should have died a few hours ago when he cut off their heads in Lincoln Park.

All the same, they would return, reforming and taking shape minutes after he would kill them, forcing him to flee. It was a sickening game of cat and mouse, with the difference that the mouse fought back and the cat had multiple lives. Sooner or later though, the lives had to run out. At least, that was what Percy prayed for.

Not that he was getting an answer.

Percy stumbled as he ran up a hill, but quickly caught his balance once more and kept running. He'd only survived this far because the two snake-haired ladies – _gorgons,_ they called themselves – couldn't seem to kill him either. Their claws didn't cut his skin, and their teeth broke when they tried to bite him. But Percy couldn't keep this up much longer. Soon he would collapse from exhaustion, and then – as hard as he was to kill, he was sure the gorgons would find a way.

Where to run?

He scanned his surroundings. Under different circumstances, he might've enjoyed the view. To the south, the trees and mountains of the Olympic National Park stretched as far the eye could see, Twilight descending over the forest. To his right, there was a small city whose name he didn't know, filled with several hundreds of people who didn't want their morning interrupted by two monsters and a filthy demigod.

Should he try to cross to make it to the water?

It was tempting. He could feel the power of the sea over the horizon, and it was making him slightly giddy. Water always revived him, but salt water was the best. He'd discovered that when he strangled a sea monster near Grey's Harbor. If he could reach the bay, he could make a final stand. Maybe he would be able to drown the gorgons.

But the shore was at least two miles away. He would have to cross an entire city.

He hesitated for another reason. The she-wolf Lupa had taught him to sharpen his senses – to trust the instincts that were supposed to guide him south. Unfortunately, his encounter with the gorgons soon after leaving the wolf house in Sonoma Valley forced him to turn north, and away from his objective, his memories, and Annabeth, the only person he remembered from his past, as his memory was frustratingly dim. The wolf had promised he would see her again and regain his memory – _if _he succeeded in his journey.

Obviously, things were not going as planned. He _was _going in the opposite direction, after all.

The wind changed, allowing Percy to catch the scent of reptile. About a hundred yards down the slope, near the edge of the city, something rustled in some bushes – snapping branches, crunching leaves, hissing.

Gorgons.

For the millionth time, Percy wished their noses weren't so good. They always said they could _smell_ him because he was a demigod – the half-blood son of some Roman god. Percy tried rolling in mud, splashing through creeks, even keeping air-freshening sticks in his pockets so that he would always have that new-car smell; but apparently demigod stink was hard to mask.

Turning away from the city, and by extension, the sea, Percy ran into the Olympic forest at a dead spring, slowing down to avoid branches and have sure footing. How in the Hades had the gorgons managed to get in front of him? He wasn't sure, and he really didn't want to find out. Hopefully he could lose them for a while in the forest; in fact, if there were gods in the sky, maybe he could get the first few minutes of sleep he'd had in days.

Yeah, when pigs fly. And somehow, Percy knew that pigs _did _fly.

Finally, darkness settled in, and Percy could barely see in front of him. Kneeling, he slung his backpack off his shoulders and opened it, examining its contents. He'd managed to grab a lot of supplies at the Napa Bargain Mart: a portable GPS, duct tape, lighter, super glue, water bottle, camping roll, a Comfy Panda Pillow Pet (as seen on TV), and a Swiss army knife – pretty much every tool a modern demigod might want. Unfortunately, the flashlight he had picked up had suffered the grueling fate of being Gorgon chow a few weeks prior, so he was going to have to improvise.

A few minutes later, he had made a make-shift torch out of some scattered firewood and the pillow pet. He really hadn't wanted to use the pillow pet, as he had become quite fond of it, but really, he didn't see much choice; it was either lie down and die, or keep moving. And to keep moving, he needed light.

_And God said, let there be light,_ Percy thought as he ran off once more into the forest. So far, trouble had avoided him, and he was glad for the respite, short as it was. Suddenly, a twig snapped, and his head snapped in the direction of the sound. A few moments later, he heard a distinct hiss and snarl. Looking around, he realized that on three sides, he was surrounded by trees, but behind him a huge boulder blocked the way. He'd managed to get himself cornered.

He cursed and pulled his pen out of his pocket.

The pen didn't look like much, just a cheap regular ballpoint, but when Percy uncapped it, it grew into a perfectly balanced bronze sword. The leather grip fit in his hand like it was custom designed for him, and etched along the guard was an Ancient Greek word Percy somehow understood: _Anaklusmos_ – Riptide.

He'd woken up with this sword his first night at the Wolf House – two months ago? More? He'd lost track. He'd found himself in the courtyard of a burned-out mansion in the middle of the woods, wearing shorts, an orange t-shirt, and a necklace with strange clay beads. Riptide had been in his hand, but Percy had had no idea how he'd gotten there, and only the vaguest idea who he was. He'd been barefoot, freezing, and confused. And then the wolves came…

Right next to him, a familiar voice jolted him to the present: "There you are!"

Percy stumbled away from the gorgon in surprise, almost falling to the ground.

It was the smiley one – Beano.

Okay, her name really wasn't Beano. As far as he could tell, he was dyslexic, because words got twisted around when he tried to read. The first time he'd seen the gorgon, posing as a Bargain Mart greeter with a big green button that read "_Welcome! My name is STHENO,"_ he'd thought it said BEANO.

She was still wearing her green Bargain Mart employee vest over a flower print dress. If you looked just at her body, you might think she was somebody's dumpy old grandmother – until you looked down and realized she had rooster feet, or looked up and saw the bronze boar tusks sticking out of the corners of her mouth. Her eyes glowed red, and her hair was a writhing nest of bright green snakes.

The most horrible thing about her? She was still holding her big silver platter of free samples: Crispy Cheese 'n' Wieners. Her platter was dented from all the times Percy had killed her, but those little samples looked fine. Stheno just kept toting them all across California and Washington so she could offer him a snack before she killed him. Percy didn't know why she kept doing that, but if he ever needed a suit of armor, he was making it out of Crispy Cheese 'n' Wieners. Those things were indestructible.

"Try one?" Stheno offered.

Percy fended her off with his sword. "Where's your sister?"

"Oh, put that sword away," Stheno chided, "You know by now that even Celestial Bronze can't kill us for long. Have a Cheese 'n' Wiener! They're on sale this week, and I'd hate to kill you on an empty stomach."

"Stheno!" The second gorgon appeared so fast on Percy's right he didn't have time to react. Fortunately she was too busy glaring at her sister to pay him much attention. "I told you to sneak up on him and kill him!"

Stheno's smile wavered. "But, Euryale…" She said the name so it rhymed with _Muriel,_ "Can't I give him a sample first?"

"No, you imbecile!" Euryale turned toward Percy and bared her fangs.

Except for her hair, which was a nest of coral snakes instead of green vipers, she looked exactly like her sister. Her Bargain Mart vest, her flowery dress, even her tusks were decorated with 50% off stickers, but her name badge read _"Hello! My name is DIE, DEMIGOD SCUM!"_

"You've led us on quite a chase, Percy Jackson," Euryale said, "But now you're trapped, and we'll have our revenge!"

"The Cheese 'n' Wieners are only $2.99," Stheno added helpfully, "Grocery department, aisle three."

Euryale snarled, "Stheno, the Bargain Mart was a _front_! You're going native! Now, put down that stupid tray and help me kill this demigod. Or have you forgotten that he's the one who vaporized Medusa?"

Percy stepped back. A few more inches, and he'd have his back against the rock itself. "Look, ladies, we've been over this. I don't even _remember _killing Medusa. I don't remember anything! Can't we just call it a truce and talk about your weekly specials?"

Stheno gave her sister a pouty look, which was hard to do with giant bronze tusks. "Can we?"

"No!" Euryale's red eyes bored into Percy. "I don't care what you remember, son of the sea god. I can smell Medusa's blood on you. It's faint, yes, several years old, but _you_ were the last one to defeat her. She _still_ has not returned from Tartarus. It's your fault!"

Percy really didn't get that. The whole "dying then returning from Tartarus" concept gave him a headache; of course, so did the idea that a ballpoint pen could turn into a sword, or that monsters could disguise themselves with something called the Mist, or that Percy was the son of a barnacle-encrusted god from five thousand years ago. But he _did _believe it. Even though his memory was erased, he knew he was a demigod the same way he knew his name was Percy Jackson. From his very first conversation with Lupa the wolf, he'd accepted that this bat-shit crazy messed-up world of gods and monsters was his reality. Which pretty much sucked.

"How about we call it a draw?" he said, "I can't kill you. You can't kill me. Besides, it you're Medusa's sisters, like _the _Medusa who turned people to stone, shouldn't I be petrified by now?"

"Heroes!" Euryale said with disgust. "They always bring that up, just like our mother! 'Why can't you turn people to stone? Your _sister _can turn people to stone.' Well, I'm sorry to disappoint you, boy! That was Medusa's curse alone. _She _was the most hideous one in the family. She got all the luck!"

Stheno looked hurt. "Mother said _I _was the most hideous." That made no sense to Percy, since they were basically twins. Not that he was going to check that later.

"Quiet!" Euryale snapped, "As for you, Percy Jackson, it's true you bear the mark of Achilles. That makes you a little tougher to kill, but don't worry, we'll find a way."

Percy blinked, and the image of his back popped in head for no reason. "The mark of what?"

"Achilles," Stheno said cheerfully. "Oh, he was _gorgeous! _Dipped in the River Styx as a child, you know, so he was invulnerable except for a tiny spot on his ankle. That's what happened to you, dear. Someone must've dumped you in the Styx and made your skin like iron. But not to worry, heroes like you always have a weak spot. We just have to find it, and then we can kill you. Won't that be lovely? Have a Cheese 'n' Wiener!"

Percy tried to think. He didn't remember any dip in the Styx; then again, he didn't remember much of anything. His skin didn't feel like iron, but it would explain how he'd held out so long against the gorgons.

Just then, there was a lumbering sound, and a giant shaggy-haired ogre emerged out of the foliage. It was about eight feet tall, and it only wore knee-length surfer shorts. Its skin was sunstroke red, and covered with tattoos of dragons, hearts, and bikini-clad women, though his chest was dominated by one that said _Joe Bob RULZ_. It was carrying a huge club that looked like it had been made from the bone of an even bigger creature, and it smiled when it saw Percy, baring pointy teeth.

It laughed, "Ah, it seems we meet again, Perseus Jackson! I've been waiting for some tasty demigod, and you've just volunteered to be my dinner! Even better, you don't have your one-eyed pet around you!"

"Hey!" The two gorgons whirled to look at the giant, "We were here first!" Euryale cried.

The giant blinked at them as if it had just noticed them, "So?"

Cue the argument. Percy had no idea what the giant was, but he definitely knew that he was at a major disadvantage. With the two gorgons on each side, the giant in front of him, and the rock behind him, he was trapped. On top of that, it was three against one. Hopefully though, the argument between the three could prove to be enough of a distraction for him to make his getaway. If he _did _have to fight, Riptide would taste blood again, but he would prefer to also have a defensive weapon instead of a torch, like a shield, or a branch, or… His eyes landed on Stheno's large silver snack platter.

Hmm…

Stheno caught him looking. "Reconsidering?" she asked, "Very wise, dear. I added some Gorgon's blood to these, so your death will be quick and painless."

Percy's throat constricted, "You added your blood to the Cheese 'n' Wieners?"

"Just a little," Stheno smiled, "A tiny nick on my arm, but you're sweet to be concerned. Blood from our right side can heal anything, you know, but blood from our left is deadly-"

"You dimwit!" Euryale turned away from Joe Bob, as Percy decided to call him, "You're not supposed to tell him that! He won't eat the wieners if you tell him that they're poisoned!"

Stheno looked stunned, "He won't? But I said it was quick and painless."

"Never mind!" Euryale's fingernails grew into claws. "We'll kill him the hard was – just keep slashing until we find the weak spot. Once we defeat Percy Jackson, we'll be more famous than Medusa! Our patron will reward us greatly!"

"As long as I get to eat him and get revenge for my brothers, I'm happy to help," said the giant.

"Fine," Euryale relented, "But we get the tracker awards! We've been chasing him for months!"

"Fair enough."

Percy gripped his sword. He'd have to time his move perfectly: a few seconds of confusion, burn Euryale, grab the platter with his left hand…

_Keep them talking,_ he thought.

"Before you slash me to bits," he said, "who's this patron you mentioned?"

Joe Bob sneered, but didn't say anything. Euryale elaborated, "The goddess Gaea, of course! The one who brought us back from oblivion! You won't live long enough to meet her, but your friends below will soon face her wrath. Even now, her armies are growing in numbers, and will soon start the march south. At the Feast of Fortune, she'll awaken, and the demigods will be cut down like… like-"

"Like our low prices at Bargain Mart!" Stheno suggested.

"Gah!" Euryale stormed towards her sister, and Percy took the opening. He threw his torch to the giant, who howled in pain and anger, grabbed Stheno's platter, scattering poisoned Cheese 'n' Wieners, and slashed Riptide across Euryale's waist, cutting her in half.

He raised the platter, and Stheno found herself facing her own greasy reflection. "Medusa!" she screamed.

Her sister Euryale had crumbled to dust, but she was already starting to reform, like a snowman un-melting. "Stheno, you fool!" she gurgled as her half-made face rose from the mound of dust. "That's just your own reflection! Get him!"

Percy slammed the metal tray on top of Stheno's head, and she passed out cold. Hopefully, since she wasn't dead, she wouldn't wake up anytime soon. One down, two to-

_Slam!_

The giant's club slammed into his back, and he was thrown into the air, hitting a thick tree and snapping it in half. Percy hit the ground face down, dazed and with no control whatsoever of his limbs. Even though he (surprisingly) was hurting that much, there was an annoying burn near the small of his back, opposite his navel.

Unfortunately, the giant wasn't done playing with him yet, and it brought the club on his back, smashing him into the ground.

The resulting _crack_ was heard for miles around, though it had nothing on the scream of agony that followed.  
…..

_Elsewhere…_

A few miles to the west from where the young hero was being cornered, a creature flitted through the night as it hunted. She moved to fast for the average mortal to be able to see her, but if she had stood still, they would have described a goddess.

And stand still she did, when the sound of foreign agony reached her ears.

Bella Cullen nee Swan prided herself in her ability to be able to resist the singing of blood, even though she hadn't achieved her full year as a newborn vampire. She was one of the few members of her family to actually be able to resist the smell of freshly spilt blood.

The female _Stregoni Benefici _called upon her ability now.

There was no doubt in her mind that the scream had come from a human. What kind of torture was the poor creature being submitted to that would create such agony? For a moment, the thought of the Italian Volturi vampire coven presented itself in her mind, along with the fear for her daughter, but it was quickly cast aside. _Alice would have seen them coming, _she thought, _so what's going on?_

Then the wind changed. In a way, curiosity was the fatal flaw of the common vampire, and Bella was no exception. The strange smell of reptile and another equally repulsive smell piqued her curiosity, and she found herself running through the forest once more, her hunt forgotten. It wasn't until she was almost to the site that she realized that her hunting instincts had alerted her of human blood in the area, but it only served to make her run faster. If she heard correctly, the scream was from a young human, less than twenty years old. And judging from the heartbeat, they were dying.

And then she saw the creatures.

Hesitating for a moment, and a moment only, Bella silently jumped into a nearby tree so that she could get the advantage of height. It wasn't until she was settled into her perch that she saw the broken body of a young handsome teenage boy, barely older looking than her daughter. His eyes were closed, but his body looked like it was no stranger to pain, if the multiple scars were anything to lead by. What scared Bella was the unnatural position of his legs, and the fact that his heartbeat was slowly diminishing. The image of her daughter, Renesmee Cullen, entered her mind, and rage took over her senses.

She let out a snarl, and the three monsters looked at her in surprise.

They died quickly. They were no match for her speed and strength, and they never even realized what was going on until they died, the two rooster-foot creatures crumbling into dust, and the ogre dissipating in a column of flames, which she was keen to avoid. When the dust mounds tried to reform, she kicked at them, and the deed was done.

Then she turned to the boy. He was almost dead, his heartbeat stuttering. At this point, there was no doubt in Bella's mind that only one thing would save him, but she knew that if she took him to her father-in-law, he would not survive, even at her speed.

So kneeling next to him, she turned him face up, and exposing his jugular, sank her teeth in his flesh.

The resulting keening sound surprised her, as it was the sound of vampire skin tearing, but she had no doubts in her mind that he was human when his blood filled her mouth. Immediately her bloodlust raged, the burn in her throat almost taking control as she was tempted to swallow. She held strong, however, and she pulled her teeth out when she was sure that the venom that coated them had entered the boy's bloodstream. She licked the wound, and her venom proceeded to quickly heal it, sealing the venom inside his body.

She then moved to the boy's wrist, proceeding to repeat the process multiple times in different pressure points. Her deed done, she wiped her mouth, and waited, listening to his slowing heart.

After a few seconds, it jump started, and she knew first-hand the pain he would be feeling as the venom changed him.

It was until then that she noticed her phone vibrating. Looking at the caller id, she figured that her sister, Alice Cullen, had seen her do what she had done with her precognition abilities.

"Bella, what's going on?"

Bella ignored the question, "Alice, tell Carlisle to prepare for a guest. I've managed to get the venom into his system, and I've got a bad feeling that he's going to wake up soon. I'm on my way." She hung up after that, and after pocketing her phone, she scooped the now-shivering teenager into her arms, taking off at a run towards her new destination.

A few minutes later, she heard the sound of running, and she recognized their owners immediately.

"Edward, Nessie," she called at a normal volume, not slowing down. Her husband and child quickly caught up to her.

To say the least, they were surprised when they saw the human in her arms.

"Bella, what…?" Her husband, Edward Cullen, trailed off, when he saw the boy.

"I'll explain everything, right now we need to get him to the house," she interrupted him, not stopping or taking a breath to answer. Edward complied, picking Renesmee up and putting her on his shoulders, since she was slower than the two of them.

A few seconds later, their objective was in sight and their pace quickened. As she jumped the river that ran near the house, the water flew up as if it was reaching towards her to pull her in. Frightened and surprised, Bella threw a mental shield around her and her companions, but the water fell back into the river as soon as she was across. Not sparing a glance at the water, she ran into the house.

Her family's expressions when they saw the boy ranged from concern, to surprise, and in one case, anger.

"What happened?" asked her father-in-law, Dr. Carlisle Cullen, as he took the boy's limp body from her arms. Bella quickly explained the events leading to her finding the boy, describing the monsters the best she could as she accompanied Carlisle to his study, which he had already prepared for his patient when Alice had informed him. When she was done, she stood in the doorway, watching in silence while the rest of her vampire family crowded behind her in interest.

"Bella, what the hell?"

She turned towards the voice, and glared at Jacob Black, local wolf shape-shifter, in annoyance. Jacob was glaring at her as well, but for different reasons. "Bella, the treaty-"

"Can screw itself for all I care. Jake, if you had seen the things that were attacking him, you would've done the same, alright?"

His answer was cut short by the sudden scream of agony in the studio. Bella whipped her head around, looking at the teenager, who had started to writhe on the table in agony, legs limp. _It's starting,_ Bella thought, _It's starting, and now it won't stop until it heals him… and turns him into one of us._

_One of us._


	2. Burning Life

**So, to start off, I'd like to seriously thank ALL of my new followers, reviewers, and favoring alerts. My inbox is getting **_**swamped **_**from the alerts I'm getting; I honestly had no idea that his story would get such a huge impact :DDD Thank you all!**

**By the way, I had to edit the first chapter, so I re-uploaded it. The dates were wrong. This all occurs in February of 2010, not April of 2009, as was stated in the previous chapter. On top of that, I've decided that for the sake of this story, we have reached the point where Renesmee/Nessie has fully matured, which means this all takes place seven years after the events of Breaking Dawn. Again, this also means Nessie's birthday is September 11, 2003. You should be able to figure out the rest of the dates by yourselves.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own The Twilight Saga, Percy Jackson and the Olympians, or Heroes of Olympus. All rights go to Stephanie Meyer and Rick Riordan, respectively.**

Heroes of Olympus Book 2: Rites of Blood

Chapter 2 – Burning Life

_February 2010 – Cullen Coven_

Agony. Pain. Eternal suffering. Torment. Punishment.

None of these words described what Percy was feeling.

His body tried to reject the pain, but he was sucked again and again into a blackness that cut out whole seconds or maybe even minutes of the agony, making it that much harder to keep up with reality.

He tried to separate them; non-reality was black, and it didn't hurt so much.

Reality was red, and it felt like his body was being sawed in half, hit by a bus, punched by Hercules, trampled by a Minotaur, and dipped in acid, all at the same time, times fifty.

It didn't even begin to describe the pain.

Reality was feeling his body twist and flip when he couldn't possibly move because of the pain. Reality was knowing there was something so much more important than all the torture, and not being able to remember what it was.

Reality was just so _sudden._

He had known the moment that the giant had hit him with its club that it was over. Invulnerability or not, he had felt his ribs break on impact, and slamming against a tree was no walk in the park. And when the club was brought down on his back with full force, he felt his spinal cord snap. That wasn't what had hurt, though. The moment the club impacted, the burning sensation in the small of his back exploded all over his body. It was in that moment that he realized where his weak spot, his Achilles heel, was located.

And then, darkness took him. He was in a lobby of some kind, and there was a bunch of people milling about. Percy felt himself pulled forward towards the security desk, where a familiar tall elegant man, with chocolate-colored skin and bleach-blond hair was sitting down. He wore an Italian silk suit that matched his hair, and there was a black rose pinned to his lapel under a silver nametag.

Somehow, Percy already knew that this was Charon, ferryman to the underworld. Said ferryman looked up in surprise.

"Well, well, well," he said in a strange accent, "What do we have here? Percy Jackson, welcome back… and dead this time, too, mate! Got a drachma for passage?"

"Uh…"

"Oh, wait! I still have some of those coins you gave me the last time you were here. Out of curiosity, how _did _you die this time?"

Percy blinked, and told him about the ambush. Charon nodded, "Well, every hero's luck runs out at some point. Though you know… I'll let in to a little secret." Charon beckoned him closer, leaning over the elevated security booth. Percy found himself leaning forward as well.

Charon spoke in a whisper, "Gaia has opened ol' Thanatos' doors between life and death, and if you want… you could just turn around right now and go back. And don't worry about him chasing you back here. He's chained up somewhere north, and as long as you stay under the radar, he won't find you! So what'll it be, mate?"

Percy frowned, "So I could just walk out of here? What about Ha- I mean, Pluto? Won't he be a little…?"

"Miffed?" suggested Charon, "Annoyed? I don't think so. Hades has a lot on his plate; he and the Furies are more focused on the high-security escapees from Punishment and Tartarus, so they won't notice you slipping back."

An image of grey-eyed blonde beauty flashed in Percy's mind, and he immediately made his decision.

"I guess I'll see you some other time," he said, and Charon nodded approvingly.

"Good luck then, mate," he said, shaking Percy's hand – something that momentarily perplexed him as he wasn't exactly corporeal. _It must be his connection with the dead,_ Percy thought. Charon continued, "Wouldn't want you showing up back here for a few more years, now would we?"

Percy agreed with him, and turned away from the security desk, leaving the entrance through the underworld. There was a flash of light, a barrage of senses and then-

_Oh, yippee! I just died, came back from the dead, and my body apparently is still being submitted to immeasurable amounts of pain! On top of that, I forgot the souvenir!_

It was bewildering. He had at least expected some sort of relief from the pain, but it really wasn't surprising. What _did _surprise him was the familiarity of the pain; somehow he knew that he had experienced something similar in his past, and that it was just as painful. Perhaps even more so than the current experience. Still, the swiftness of coming back to life had not prepared him for such experience, and he released a scream of undiluted agony.

Then, his wolf-mentor's voice managed to pierce the haze that was his mind, even though he himself couldn't form coherent thoughts.

_Letting others know of your pain, Perseus Jackson? That's not very Roman of you. Do you wish to be known to others as a weakling? Do you wish for others to respect you? Do you wish to survive in the legion? Then hold your tongue, pup, and suffer in silence._

So he did. Every second was an hour, every minute a week, every hour a year. And yet, he clenched his jaw, stiffened his muscles, and did not indicate that he was in any pain whatsoever. Faces flashed across his vision, faces that he recognized, and yet didn't. A girl with grey eyes – Annabeth. Another girl, this one with spiky hair and a tiara, with electric blue eyes – a friend? Family? A woman, with brown hair and kind eyes, with a smile that would light the world. A man that looked exactly like him, with green eyes, black hair, and a crinkly-eyed smile. He didn't know who they were, and they were gone as soon as he saw them.

All he wanted was to die, to never have been born. The whole of his existence did not outweigh this pain. Then he remembered that, ironically, he had chosen this by turning his back on Charon. He had wanted to live. Now it seemed like a hideous joke that he was getting his wish fulfilled.

And, for a never-ending space, that was all there was. Just the fiery torture, and his soundless howls, pleading to whatever god listened for whatever was happening to him to end. Nothing else, not even time; it made it infinite, with no beginning and no end. One infinite moment of pain.

The only sign of change came when, impossibly, his pain was doubled. The lower half of his body, deadened since before he had died, suddenly set on fire, too. Some broken connection had been healed, knitted together by the scorching fingers of the flame.

Soon after that, he somehow became accustomed to the pain. It wasn't that it became more pleasant, per se, but Percy began to develop a new capacity for experiencing it, a new sensitivity to appreciate, separately, each blistering tongue of flame that licked through his veins.

At the same time, time began to mean something again. His hearing got clearer and clearer, and he could count the frantic, pounding beats of his dying heart to mark the time. He could count the shallow breaths that gasped through his teeth. He could also count the low, even breaths that came from somewhere close to me. Those moved slower, so he concentrated on them, since they meant the most time passing. More even than a clock's pendulum, those breathes pulled him through the burning seconds toward the end.

Percy continued to get stronger, his thoughts becoming clearer and more coherent. So, when new noises came, he listened.

There were light footsteps, the whisper of air stirred by an opening door. The footsteps got closer, and he felt pressure against the inside of his wrist. He couldn't feel the coolness of the fingers; the fire blistered away every memory of cool.

"Still no change?"

"No."

The lightest pressure, breath against his scorched skin.

"There's no scent of anything foreign in his body. No morphine or any kind of poison."

"I know. Did Alice find out what his name was?"

"Percy Jackson. Lives in New York with his mother, but has been missing since last year."

"How does a missing New Yorker end up in an Olympic forest being mauled by… whatever those thing were?"

"I don't know, Bella. Only he can tell us."

"Percy? Can you hear me?"

Percy knew, beyond all doubt, that if he unlocked his teeth he would lose it: he would howl and screech and writhe and thrash. If he opened his eyes, if he so much as twitched a finger… any change at all would be the end of his control. Not that it was much to begin with, but still.

"Percy? Is that your name? Can you open your eyes?" The voice – Bella, he thought – paused, "Can you hear me?"

Percy's resolve wavered when he heard the concern in her voice, but a second later it was back where it was supposed be, and he stayed paralyzed.

"Maybe… Carlisle, maybe I was too late…?"

"Listen to his heart, Bella. It's stronger than even Emmett's was, almost on par with yours. It's just so _vital._ He'll be fine."

Yes, Percy was right to stay quiet. Even though he didn't recognize the voices, his opinion of them increased with the fact that they were worried over a complete stranger. Even though the possibility of them being the catalysts for the current situation was very likely, the fact that they had concern for him was… heartening. Besides, the man, Carlisle, would reassure her.

"And his spine?"

"His injuries were no worse than yours or Esme's. The venom will heal him as it did to the both of you."

"But he's so still. I _must _have done something wrong…"

"Bella, you were exactly the same way-"

"Because the morphine forced me to, Carlisle! I was bound and gagged by it, so I couldn't move even if I wanted to! Even though I wanted to scream, to plead… I couldn't."

The sudden intake of breathe was an obvious sign to Percy that something was wrong, at least to them.

"Why didn't you say so?"

"I didn't want to cause Edward unnecessary pain. He was already beating himself up over the fact that I had been changed, and I didn't need to add more fuel to the fire. Besides, once the morphine was completely burned out by the venom, it was me the one that decided not to move."

"Then maybe the same thing applies. Maybe it's by choice that he's not moving. Don't berate yourself, Bella."

A sigh, "There are so many things that I don't know…"

"Neither do I. The fact that he had vampire skin, with human blood in his veins… I would almost say that he was a half-breed."

_Uh-oh…_

"He wasn't. His smell was all human, though very distinct. It was nothing like I had ever smelled before, and yet… it reminded me of La Push for some reason. And the beach in Jacksonville."

"Interesting…" was the only thing that Carlisle said.

Through all this, the racking fire went right on burning him, but there was so much space in his head now. Room to ponder their conversation, room to remember what had happened, room to look ahead to the future – something that Percy was very sure he did not do often – with still endless room left over to suffer in.

Carlisle's footsteps faded away, and Percy was frustrated by the lack of more information, so he went back to counting the nearby breaths – which he now knew were made by Bella – to mark the time.

Ten thousand, nine hundred forty-three breaths later, a different set of footsteps whispered into the room. These were lighter though… more rhythmic. _Funny,_ he thought, _since when can I distinguish one set of footsteps from another by hearing?_

"How much longer?" asked Bella.

"It won't be long now," answered an unknown female voice, "He's becoming clearer, but there's still some blurriness in the way." She sighed, "It's Nessie all over again."

"You're still bitter over that?"

"You would be too, if you realized that you were handcuffed by your own nature. I see vampires best, because I am one; I see humans okay, because I was one. You know I can't see Nessie or Jacob because they're neither human nor vampire, even after spending so much time with them! Gah!"

"Focus, Alice." At last, a name to place for the owner of the voice!

"Right. He's almost too easy to see right now." _See? What in the name of Poseidon is she talking about? I'm right here!_ Alice's voice tore him out of his thoughts, "He's going to be fine."

"You sure about that?"

"Of course I am! Don't you know not to bet against me?"

"You weren't so sure two days ago."

"I couldn't see him two days ago. But now that he's almost there, it's a piece of cake at this point."

"Could you concentrate for me? Like an estimate?"

Alice sighed. "So impatient. Reminds me of Edward when you were turning. Fine. Give me a sec-"

Quiet breathing.

"Well?"

"Bella!"

"What?"

"You very well know what!"

"Will you tell me already?"

"Will you let me tell you already?"

"Ugh. Remind me why I haven't killed you yet?"

"Because you'd miss me. He'll be up before sunset, in about six hours." _Yes!_

"Thank you, Alice." Bella's voice was brighter.

"He's going to be a looker. I mean, not that he wasn't before, but damn… if I wasn't married to Jasper I'd take him."

"Alice!"

"What, as if you wouldn't?"

A gasp, "I would never leave Edward… though I will admit he is cute."

Alice giggled to Percy's utter mortification, "You shouldn't have said that, he'll be here in two minutes."

"Alice, if you tell him _anything,_ so help me, I will wreck your Porsche."

"You wouldn't- Oh, no wait, I just saw you would. Ok, ok, fine, I won't tell him anything."

Percy was a little more than embarrassed because of what he had heard, but the words nonetheless gave him hope that maybe he didn't resemble the charcoal briquette he felt like. It seemed to him that at this point the only thing left of him was a pile of charred bones; to him, every cell in his body had been reduced to ash.

He heard Alice breeze out of the room. He heard the swish of the fabric as she moved, rubbing against itself; he heard the quiet buzz of the light hanging from the ceiling; he heard the faint wind brushing against the outside of the house. He could hear _everything._ However, the Yankees game being watched downstairs – how did he know that? – was not enough to distract him, so he resumed counting Bella's breaths.

Twenty-one thousand, nine hundred seventeen and a half seconds later, the pain changed.

The good news was that the pain was slowly starting to fade from his fingertips and toes, which had to mean _something._ The bad news was that the pain in his throat changed to a parched type of burning, like he was thirsty and he hadn't had a drink for a year – dry as bone.

Even more bad news: His heart was getting a double-dose of fire, and it was quick to react, it's already too-fast beat picking up as the fire drove it to a new frantic pace.

"Carlisle, Edward," Bella called with a low voice. Judging from the fact that he could hear practically everything, Percy assumed that Carlisle and the unknown person would hear Bella's call. Sure enough, almost immediately Carlisle entered the room, followed by Alice and an unknown set of footsteps – Edward, he assumed – just as the fire retreated from his palms, leaving them blissfully pain-free and cool. Again, it continued to retreat to his heart, which started to blaze like a godly aura and beat at a furious new speed.

"Listen," Bella told them.

The loudest sound in the room was his frenzied heart, pounding to the rhythm of the fire.

"Ah," said the newcomer Edward, "It's almost over."

Percy's relief at his words was overshadowed by the excruciating pain in his heart.

"Soon," agreed Alice, "I'll get the others."

"Edward, have Jacob take Nessie to La Push, I want her safe," Bella said. Percy's curiosity was piqued by the multiple mentions of this "Nessie", but again, that was exterminated as well. By now, his wrists were free, as were his ankles; the pain was truly extinguished there.

"Of course, love." Edward darted away, his pace extremely quick. Too fast, Percy decided, to be human.

The fire started to drain from his elbows and knees, ripping hotter still through his chest.

"I'll bring them right up," said Alice, an urgent edge to her tone, and he heard the swish of wind as she darted away as well.

And then- _snap!_

Percy's heart took off, beating like helicopter blades, the sound almost a single sustained note, to the point that it almost felt like it was grinding against his ribs. The fire flared up in the center of his chest, sucking the last remnants of the flames from the rest of his body to fuel the most scorching blaze yet. The pain was enough to stun him, and it broke his iron grip on his control, forcing his back to arch as if the fire was dragging him upward by his heart.

As he slumped back to the table, the fire constricted, concentrating inside the one remaining organ with a final unbearable surge. The surge was answered by a deep, hollow-sounding sound. Percy's heart stuttered twice, and then thudded quietly again just once more.

There was no sound. No breathing. Not even his.

For a moment, the absence of pain was all he could comprehend.

And then, he performed the greatest miracle of his life.

He opened his eyes.

**And there you have it: Perseus "Percy" Jackson, local newborn vampire. Up next, the first hunt!**

**Review!**


	3. A taste of Ecstasy

**Ah… the pleasure of reviews and favorites :DD I've decided to answer some reviews here in this chapter, but keep in mind that this is the first time I do something like this. Here we go:**

**Favfan(guest): Thanks :D I was kind of losing hope as well, but then I just decided to wing it and do my own :D**

**Cockapoo: ****For chapter 1**** Yeah :D Glad you think so, I thought that I had overdone it a little with the humor :P ; ****For chapter 2**** I figured :D Although, who **_**doesn't **_**like Alice? She's so freakin' cool! She's impossible **_**not **_**to like :P**

**Balletdancer5678: Thank you! :D**

**12gnatbug: Glad you think so :D**

**Randomdude (Guest): I know, but take into account that these are mostly the introductory chapters. Thanks for the compliment though, and I will try to make future chapters longer.**

**Alex Productions: I'm afraid that I can't do that. I'm going to keep the pairings canon as much as possible, so that goes for Percy and Annabeth as well. Besides, Nessie is half-human, half-vampire. It was the shape shifters that imprinted.**

**Dracoman: I'm sorry, but I didn't understand what you meant by making Percy mercantile. Or the 4/5.**

**PercabethForever211: Hahaha it's ok :) Thank anyways :D I never would've guessed that this story would've inspired a "fangirl" moment :P As to answer your question… we'll just have to wait and see, won't we? I mean, it's not going to be like Edward's and Bella's relationship (Gods know Annabeth isn't going to let herself get pushed around like that) but there will be strain. As to Percy looks, read on!**

**Also, a shout-out to TheseusLives for favoriting my story. Huge fan of his stories, so I got really excited when I got the alert :DD**

**Hopefully we can reach 40 reviews for chapter 3! I would really appreciate it! Also… well, if you would like to check out my other story, The Chaos Chronicles, I would really appreciate it. Reviews are welcomed there as well :)**

**Here we go!**

Heroes of Olympus Book 2: Rites of Blood

Chapter 3 – A taste of ecstasy

_February 2010 – Cullen Coven_

Percy couldn't help but stare in wonder.

Everything was so clear, like a pane of blurry glass had been removed from his eyes and revealed the true beauty of the world he lived in. He could see every particle of dust, every pore in the ceiling, every color produced by the lights above him.

Everything was beautiful, and he could see it all.

It was so shocking and beautiful that he couldn't help but suck in a breath in surprise, revealing an entirely new array of tastes and scents to him. _He could taste the air around him._ He could smell the overpowering scent of salt and seawater that rolled off of himself, he could taste the dust that entered his throat, he could… words could not describe what he was experiencing.

Especially since he could also taste the scents of living creatures _very_ close to him.

His head whipped in the direction of the scents, revealing eight creatures of supreme magnificence and beauty. Every one of them was beautiful, and there was a grace about them that portrayed a sense of power and nobility. They all shared pale skin and yellow eyes, but the similarities ended there. Hair, facial characteristics, anatomy, they were all different. What worried him, though, was their postures. They were sure-footed, and another breath revealed the tension in the room.

They perceived a threat in Percy.

Immediately, a bubble of sound ripped itself from Percy's throat as he flipped himself off from his burning pyre, the world around him spinning so fast that it should have blurred – and yet, he could still see everything. His feet landed in a crouch at the same time that his animalistic snarl was distinguished, and then-

He paused.

Why did he snarl? Was he an animal? Had he spent too much time with the wolves, to the point that he had picked up their defensive traits under a perceived threat? Was he a monster? His eyes widened as he considered the last possibility. What had these… _things…_ done to him?

"Percy?"

His head snapped in the direction of the brown-haired woman that had called him, recognizing the voice immediately. She was standing slightly behind a bronze-haired male, who was eying him suspiciously.

"You're Bella, right?" he asked, blinking in surprise at the sound of his new voice. It was slightly deeper, more majestic, steadier, and it rang with a tone of authority; the voice of a leader.

He was brought out of his musings by Bella's response. "I am. How are you feeling?"

Percy took a moment to consider the question, finally giving his answer, "I suppose I feel fine, but I would like to know what the Hades was done to me."

As if practiced, they blinked in unison at the word _Hades. _Bella frowned at his choice of words, but before she could answer, a man in a doctor's garb stepped forward. Again, when he spoke, Percy recognized the voice as well.

"My daughter found you in the woods very close to death," Carlisle said, "Your back was broken, most of your ribs were shattered, and you had multiple cracks in your skull. On top of that, your lungs were punctured and most of your digestive system had seen better days. Simply put, Bella made a choice and saved your life."

"And how did she do that, exactly? Because I am pretty godsdammed sure that I _did _die."

Carlisle sighed, "Tell me Percy, what do you think we are?"

Percy frowned. _Pale skin, allure… _"Uhh, this may sound weird, but… are your legs real?"

They all looked at each other in confusion, though the bronze-haired male blinked and started chuckling for no reason. When the others gave him questioning glances, he spoke, revealing his identity as Edward, "He's asking because our descriptions match those of a vampiric she-demon called an empousa; the most distinguishing feature is that they have mismatched legs."

Percy elaborated on Edward's explanation, though he took into account that Edward somehow knew what he was talking about beforehand, "One of their legs is made out of bronze, and the other… it's a donkey leg."

Wrong thing to say, because a seriously hot blonde glared at him with revulsion, "Does it look like we have donkey legs?"

Percy raised an eyebrow at her, "I've seen those things disguise themselves as cheerleaders. I didn't realize what they were until they removed the glamour. They hid themselves pretty good."

The blonde scowled, but didn't say anything. Edward smirked, "Sorry to disappoint you kid. Take another guess."

Percy made an exasperated sound, "I don't have time for this." He reached into his pocket, noting that his clothes had been changed – how embarrassing – and his hand curled around Riptide. He pulled the pen out, uncapping it and revealing the bronze blade.

Percy's captors backed off in surprise at the blade, hissing their distaste. One of them moved forward to attack, but was held back by a small pixie-like… person. Even from a distance, Percy heard the frantic whisper, "If you attack, he'll kill you, Jasper! He won't attack us as long as we give him answers!" _Alice,_ thought Percy, _That's everyone I recognize by their voices. Now to give names to the rest of them._

Alice stepped forward, "Look, Percy, there's no other way to say it. We're vampires. You were dying, and Bella saved your life by turning you into one of us. I'm sorry."

_Well, shit._  
….

A few minutes later, Percy _still_ hadn't relaxed.

"Ok, let me get this straight. Number one, you're all vampires." United nod of agreement. "_Numero duo_, you don't drink human blood, but instead you drink animal blood as a substitute." Another nod. "Three, because I was dying – and I wasn't joking when I said that I _did _die – you decided that the Hospital wasn't enough of a life-saver and that exiling me from humanity by turning me into a vampire _was the best solution?"_ This nod was more hesitant, though glares were sent towards Bella, who ignored them. Percy closed his eyes, pinching his nose with his free hand – the other was still holding Riptide, "Did I miss anything?"

A moment of silence, and Percy nodded, "Okay, then." He opened his eyes, taking in the guarded, nervous expressions of each member – except for Alice, who seemed to smile knowingly and was starting to bounce on the balls of her feet. Percy sighed, and capped his sword, turning it back into a pen instantaneously. Everyone relaxed at Riptide's disappearance, but they still eyed his pen warily, even after he put it in his pocket.

"So… what's next?"

Bella looked at him with a smirk, "Your first hunt. The whole family is going to going to go with you to give you pointers, so don't worry about not knowing what you're supposed to do. We'll help you out."

Percy nodded, unsure of what to say, but Alice held up a hand, "Whoa, hold your horses there guys."

Bella rolled her eyes as Alice breezed out of the room. Turning to Percy, she said, "She did the same thing when I was turned, so forget weaseling out of this. Besides, you'll thank her later."

Percy's intelligent response as Alice walked in holding a huge 4-by-2 foot mirror – Vampires have super strength? _Nice!_ – was along the lines of, "Uh…"

His answer was cut off when he saw the person in the mirror.

The person, no, creature in the mirror was… godly. There was no doubt in his mind that the mirror was reflecting an immortal; after all, the image was perfection. His hair was now even darker, edging on pitch black. His body had somehow became even _more _lean and muscular, and somehow he was slightly taller, ranging around six feet. What shocked him the most though were his eyes; before his transformation he sported the sea-green eyes of his father – Hey, a detail to his past from his non-existent memory! Ten bucks say he would forget within the minute – but now, his eyes were a vivid crimson. If he peered closely, however, he could see tiny flecks of green around his pupil, and he was relieved.

"Wow…" he said, "Damn, I look _good_."

All the females, even Rosalie, the stiff unsmiling silent blonde, agreed.  
…

"Through the window?"

"How else did you think this would happen?"

"The front door, maybe? They've been popular since like, forever."

"Now what would be the fun in that? We _are _vampires, after all."

Percy rolled his eyes at Alice's comments. "Fine," he relented, "have it your way. If something breaks, I'm blaming you."

Alice grinned in a way that reminded him of a Cheshire cat, "One thing that you'll learn in this family is to never bet against me. Now, out you go." She pushed him towards the open window, and rolling his eyes he grabbed the sides and hauled himself up.

_Crack!_

His eyes widened in surprise at the sound, and he quickly pulled his hand away from the newly cracked frame.

"Don't worry about it," said a voice behind him. _Esme,_ he remembered. They had gone through the introductions quickly, and Percy was surprised to find out that he actually remembered their names and associated voices and faces. Esme Cullen, for example, was Carlisle's wife, and she sported a heart-shaped face with caramel-colored hair; somehow, she reminded Percy of a mother he couldn't remember. He looked at Esme, and she gave him an apologetic smile. "You're a newborn vampire," she said, "It'll take some time before you can actually control your strength. Heavens know how long it took Emmett."

"He actually never managed," said Edward with a smirk. Emmett, the muscled curly haired vampire, shoved him, but as if he expected it, Edward quickly moved out of the way.

"Boys, behave," Esme chided.

"Yes, mom," they said in unison. Esme just smiled at their antics, and Percy was hit with a wave of sadness. It wasn't fair, after all, that he had to lose all the memories of his family and friends, including those closest to him.

_Deal with that later,_ thought Percy, _right now, time to hunt._ His throat flared in response to the thought, and he quickly looked out of the window, missing Edward's frown and glance in his direction.

Percy looked down from the windowsill he was perched on, expecting the slight nausea that came from heights. He was surprised, however, that when he looked down he simply just… looked down. No vertigo, no nothing.

So not wasting any time, he jumped.

He expected the ground to rush up, but again, he was surprised to find that while the ground did rush up, he felt that he had more than enough time to prepare for his landing. It wasn't that he was slowing down, it was the fact that he was thinking faster.

Idly, he wondered if that was the ADHD, or a new freaky vampire version of it.

So, it was more than enough time for him to place his feet on the ground – what in the name of Hades' underpants was he _wearing?_ He was going to _kill _the person that played dress-up doll with him – without losing any balance or stumbling at all. In fact, his landing was so good that he barely made a sound, just a small thump that could only be picked up by vampiric sense of hearing.

Four thumps behind and next to him alerted him to the fact that Alice, Jasper, Edward and Bella had joined him.

"Not bad for a newbie," said Bella, smiling, "Surprised?"

Percy chuckled, "A little… Oh, and Alice?" Said vampire raised an eyebrow, "I'm blaming you for the window."

Edward and Jasper let out full-blown laughs, but Bella let out a small giggle. Percy could hear the laughter coming from inside the house, including Emmett's loud guffaw and Carlisle's chuckle. Alice, for her part, glared.

Percy gave her a cheeky grin as he started to unbutton his shirt. Immediately the others gave him curious looks, while Edward nodded knowingly with a small smirk.

"I like this shirt," said Percy as an explanation, "But I don't think that it's suitable for a hunting trip." He got no answer, due to the fact that as soon as Alice and Bella saw his chest they downright gaped. Bella for her part looked away – Percy was sure that if she could blush she would – but Alice was getting a very… unique expression. It reminded him of an incident that occurred with the children of Aphrodite back at camp, when Annabeth had accidentally ripped his shirt during training. Thank the gods Silena had been there…

He stiffened in surprise, but even though the memory remained, he could not remember additional details. _I almost had it… could it be that the vampirism is unlocking my memories, or are they starting to come back on their own? And who the Hades is Silena?_

He noticed Edward and Jasper had shared a glance, and he quickly turned away after removing his shirt and hanging it on a nearby branch. Judging from Edward's reactions, he was going to assume that the boy – said vampire's head snapped in his direction at this – was a telepath. He had had enough encounters with gods and immortals to know what to expect. Jasper though… he had no clue. He noticed Edward give him a small approving nod, confirming his guess.

_I assume that you'll want to know what I meant by the rest? _Percy thought. Edward nodded, his expression burning with curiosity. _Later. After I hunt. Besides, I only want to tell this once._ Percy's throat burned in emphasis, and Edward gave him a knowing expression.

"Shall we?" he said, tearing Alice from her gaping session. Percy squirmed slightly, and Jasper gave a small chuckle. Percy looked at Edward, thinking his suspicions, and Edward nodded again with an impressed smile. _Great, a telepath _and _a vampire that can read my emotions. Mortal or vampire, I _still _have no privacy in my life. _Shaking his head, Percy turned to the river and the forest, and by extension, his current hunting grounds.

He quickly discovered his vampire speed.

Within a second, he was at the edge of the river, diving into the water. His vision was already superb underwater when he was human, but now it was simply… it was like going from black and white to High Definition. A quick blast from his powers, and he shot forward and out of the river on the other side. The ease with which he controlled his powers with the small test pleased him immensely.

Running off into the forest with the others right on his tail, he let out a whoop of exhilaration at the speed he was running. Things weren't blurring due to his new sight, but that only made the experience even more worthwhile. He could see every microscopic hair on every leaf, the movement of the branches as the wind blew through them. Inhaling, his nose was filled with an array of scents: earth, branches, leaves, everything that was in the wind. He could hear the heartbeat of small nearby animals, hear them cower in fear as he ran past.

He was a hunter, and they were his prey.

"Percy," he heard Jasper call. Stopping suddenly, without skidding, Percy looked back and realized that he had, quite literally, left the others in the dust. A few moments later, the four vampires had caught up to him, smiling in amusement.

"Unless you want to hunt in Canada, we should do it here," Jasper said. Percy would've blushed in embarrassment if he could, but then he realized that since he had no heartbeat, no blood would rush to his cheeks or ears in embarrassment. Besides, he could control his expressions quite well; it was part of Lupa's training after all.

So, he settled for a surprised expression, and a quip in response, "Whoa, Jasper… I'm afraid that I cannot follow in your intentions. I'm straight."

Edward, Bella and Alice howled in laughter as Jasper blinked, before realizing to his ultimate horror what he had just said. His expression was enough to destroy Percy's self-control, and he joined in with the laughter.

After a while, the laughter quieted down, and Edward said, "Alright, enough dawdling around. Perce – can I call you Perce? – I want you to listen carefully, ok?" At Percy's nod of confirmation, he continued, "I want you to close your eyes, and focus on you other senses. First, listen to the forest around you." Percy obeyed, closing his eyes and listening. It was incredible, but after a few moments he remembered that he was hunting. A few moments later, and he had located his prize: a multitude of heartbeats near a source of running water, all of them pumping with the elixir he needed. His mouth started to water, filling with… venom, he supposed?

Percy opened his eyes, "To the north? A herd near the river?" The four vampires nodded their affirmative.

Edward continued, "Good job. Now, close your eyes again, and this time, focus on the air. Use your sense of smell." Just then, the wind changed direction, blowing to the south and carrying an array of scents, including water. Somehow, it didn't appeal to him, and while the scent that accompanied it was tempting, it was no better.

Percy wrinkled his nose, "Ok, that's nasty."

All of them chuckled. "Herbivores," said Edward, "The meat eaters smell more like humans, so they're more appetizing. Deer and Elk, not so much. Still, it's good practice for the moment, so whenever you're ready."

Percy rolled his eyes, "Screw it, I'm thirsty." With that he took off towards the herd, pulling out his pen from his pocket as his bloodlust started to overcome his senses, the burn in his throat unbearable at this point. A few seconds later, he was rewarded with the sight of nine deer and an elk drinking water from the river. In a split-moment decision, he uncapped Riptide and threw the sword like a javelin towards the second biggest animal while he pounced at the elk. His bloodlust was in complete control at this point, so he didn't see nor hear the sword hit its target; all he saw was his prey, which was now under him, paralyzed in fear. Letting out a snarl, he pounced on its neck, his razor-sharp teeth cutting through the thin muscle like a hot knife through butter. Blood filled his mouth, and he eagerly drank the deer dry.

A few seconds later, he shoved the carcass away from him, disgusted – it had barely done anything to satisfy his thirst, and it had not been… tasty, so to speak. Turning to the nearby deer he had speared, he pulled the sword out of its neck and lunged once more, drinking it dry. Again, not satisfying, especially since Riptide had nearly decapitated the poor animal and it had lost a lot of blood before he could drink it.

Looking down at himself, he realized that he had been right to leave his shirt behind at the house; his chest looked straight out of a psychopathic slasher horror movie with all the blood on it. Then, to his chagrin, he realized that while he had focused on the two animals, the others had finished four or five. Bella was the only one close to his number, with three. On top of that, the three of them were spotless, not a wrinkle or a drop of blood on their clothes.

Percy scowled, "How is it that-"

"We're finished before you are?" Alice called at him from her most recent kill, "Practice. You'll get used to it after a while."

He rolled his eyes in response, "Gee, didn't see that one coming. I'm going to go find a meat-eating animal that tastes better than this crap." Somehow, the statement did not creep him out at all – in fact, it was almost natural.

"I'll go with you," Bella spoke up. Edward from his kill looked up at her in concern.

"Are you sure love?"

"I'll be fine, Edward," she said, "I'm still freakishly strong, remember?" She turned to me, "Lead the way, Percy."

He nodded, getting up from his kill and capping Riptide. Straining his ears and taking note of the scents in the air, he finally found one to his liking to the east, and he eagerly followed it, taking care not to leave Bella behind in his haste.

After they were out of vampire-earshot, he slowed down to a walk, surprising Bella when he looked at her.

"All right, out with it. I know that you were the one that found me, so I'll give you the honor of being the first person to know. Your boyfriend's been picking stuff from my head, but I haven't given him the full story."

Bella looked surprised when he admitted to know about Edward's telepathy, but didn't comment, saying instead, "What were those things?"

Percy sighed, "The big one was a Laistrygonian Giant, and the other two were the gorgon sisters of Medusa herself."

Bella frowned, "Medusa… isn't that the Greek mythology monster that could turn creatures to stone with her gaze?"

"All legends are based on fact," Percy said wisely, "You've seen the monsters for yourself. Ask yourself this, if vampires exist, what are the odds that the rest of the legends are real as well?"

Bella narrowed her gaze at him, "Who… no, _what _are you?"

Percy gave her his signature grin, "Percy Jackson, local roman demigod, at your service." Bella's expression was _definitely _going to be committed to memory for eternity. Giving her a bow and a flourish, he took off towards the scent of his next meal.  
…..

Two mountain lions and one she-bear later, Percy was (finally) satisfied. Bella was still giving him wary looks, even though Percy had promised that he would fully explain later in front of her family; he had just wanted to give her a heads-up. She didn't look reassured per se, but she did relax slightly as they ran back to meet the others. After picking them up, they continued on to the house, but this time when they reached the river Percy jumped over it instead of swimming. It surprised him slightly when the water seemed to reach up slightly towards him, but he was demigod – he had seen stranger things in his life, no doubt.

So focused he was on the water that he didn't notice the multiple heartbeats in the vicinity until he had landed. As soon as his feet touched ground, some of the bushes around the house exploded as four wolves the size of hellhounds jumped out of them, snarling at him. In fact, for a moment he had actually thought they _were _hellhounds, until he noticed the colors of their furs. The one in front of him, for example, was pitch-black, and it was glaring at him with hate and disgust.

Percy wasn't fazed at all. His time with Lupa's wolves had more than prepared him for this type of circumstances, since every now and then they would ambush him in a similar manner. They weren't this big, though. Still, it didn't stop him from meeting the wolf's gaze head on, giving it the best wolf-glare he could.

Four thumps revealed the presence of the Cullen's behind him. Not breaking eye-contact with the animal, Percy held up a hand to stop them from moving closer.

"Sam!" Bella said, "What are you doing here?"

"They're here because the treaty's been broken." An unknown voice came into play, and from the general direction of the house a tall fit russet-colored guy walked towards the group. He was a human, Percy realized with fear as he held his breath.

"Jacob!" By her tone, even Percy could tell that Bella was pissed. Whoever this Jacob was, he was in deep shit.

"I'm sorry Bella, but this was the only way. If you guys had kept this secret, Sam would have come here to kill, not talk. I barely convinced him to listen." Percy saw Jacob give Bella a pleading look out of the corner of his eye, as he still hadn't broken eye-contact with the Black wolf.

Percy heard Bella sigh, "I had no choice, Sam." At her words, the black wolf broke away from their staring contest and looked at Bella with narrowed eyes. Bella pressed on, "You didn't see how he was, how close he was to dying. Ask Carlisle. His back and all of his ribs were broken, and most of his organs were beyond repair. I saw a chance to save his life, so I did. I'm sorry about the treaty."

Edward spoke up suddenly in an expressionless voice, "Oh? And who is to say that this wasn't done on purpose? Who is to say that it wasn't you who caused these injuries to him?" Percy was surprised that Edward had said that, but Bella didn't spare him a glance as she kept looking at the wolf. That was when he realized – This "Sam" guy was the wolf, and Edward was reading the wolf's thought and projecting them so that everyone could hear.

Percy decided to speak up, "Because I would remember if Bella had been the one to attack me." Sam turned his gaze on Percy, but he continued, "I've killed a lot of monsters in my life. I was stupid, and I got ambushed by a ten-foot tall cannibal giant with a club half around his size. Fucker caught me by surprise; if Bella hadn't shown up when she did, I wouldn't be talking to you right now. And I always pay my debts. Always."

Silence rang after his words, so Percy continued, "So part of that debt includes protecting her from potential danger, if I can. You're messing with something you know nothing about, so I suggest you step down." With that, Percy jumped back, pulling Riptide from his pocket and uncapping the pen.

When the sword was revealed, the wolves' reactions were similar to those of the Cullen's before them: They jumped backwards in surprise, snarling in distaste.

"Anaklusmos," Percy said, "Which is the Ancient Greek translation for Riptide, the current that takes you by surprise… And before you know it…" Percy turned around and pointed at the river with his free hand. The water exploded outwards, surging up in a massive wave that was at least twenty feet high. Percy was pleased to find that there was no tug in his gut, or any exhaustion whatsoever from the massive amount of power he was using.

Looking at the wolves and the vampires, he smirked. The wolves were cowering, and the Cullen's were having similar reactions. He saw the rest of the vampire family run towards them from the house, but stop in awe at the massive amount of water he was holding up with his mind. Percy willed the water to continue forward, making it reach over the group in the shape of a funnel.

Percy looked at Sam, his crimson eyes glowing with power, "It's too late, and you've been swept out to sea."

With that, he willed the water back into the river. When it was back to normal, he turned back to the wolves and vampires that were assembled around him. He gave them a smile.

"Now then… shall we talk this over like civilized men?"

**People asked for a Badass Percy… What do you think? Review!**


	4. And thus we live

**Ahh… the joy and juiciness of reviews a-plenty :D Thank you :) From the bottom of my fan-author heart, thank you. **

**To answer a few reviews:**

**Xxbecca: Thanks! :D I appreciate the compliments, they seriously made my day :D**

**Samijackson: Sorry, but this is a Percabeth. Actually, I'll follow through with most, if not all of the canon pairings for both PJO and Twilight worlds.**

**This chapter is huge, so I hope you enjoy it to its fullest :) Here we go :)**

**Note: Nobody really knows when her birthday is, so I'll just wing it. You'll know what I'm talking about.**

Heroes of Olympus Book 2: Rites of Blood

Chapter 4 – And thus we live

The first time that Annabeth Chase died was the day that Thalia Grace had been turned into a tree. She had seen her new family ripped away, turned into a tree because of the bitterness of a betrayed god. She saw her best friend and crush start down a dark path, and was powerless to stop him.

Percy had saved her by giving her something worth fighting for.

The second time she died was when she felt the earth shake under the power of Mount Saint Helens. That day, as she ran back to the forge of Hephaestus she heard Percy scream of agony, and she felt the volcano explode under his raw power – and she knew he was dead.

Again, her Seaweed Brain brought her back to life by showing up just before they burned his shroud, and she prayed for it to be the last time.

Destiny, however, had planned a third death for her.

Months ago, the day-to-day activities were done without pause. People would wake up, shower, dress, go to breakfast, train, study, have lunch, train, study, have dinner, go to the campfire, and finally go to bed. Once a week, the camp would hold chariot racing and capture-the-flag events that were thoroughly enjoyed by everyone. Annabeth Chase, daughter of Athena and Architect of Olympus would follow the same schedule as well, with periodic searches of information relating to her missing boyfriend, Percy Jackson.

That is, until that one fateful night that turned everything around.

She remembered the entire day perfectly, and it tore at her heart every time she looked back…

_February 4__th__, 2010 –Location: Camp Half-Blood_

Apart from the fact that the Hunters of Artemis had decided to visit, the irony was that the day never gave any indication that life would lose its meaning, that it would change in such a way that it would scar every single person at the camp. Annabeth was happy to see her best friend again, and Thalia Grace felt the same way. Nico di Angelo was missing, but everyone was sure that he would show up again – no matter how many times he denied it, Annabeth knew that he enjoyed the campfire and the feeling of home that it gave.

"Annabeth!"

Annabeth turned around to look at Leo Valdez. The son of Hephaestus was in charge of building the Argo II, the flying warship that they would use to travel to Greece to face Gaea. It was because of that reason that the two formed a relationship based on work, so it was out of the norm for him to call at her when they weren't working.

"What is it, Leo?"

Leo gave her a small smile, handing her an inch-thick square package, "Happy Birthday."

Annabeth blinked in surprise. The only ones to have actually remembered it was her birthday were her mother (it had been a _terrible _gift), Thalia (A longbow made from yew with a celestial bronze string), her father (books by request), Nico (who disappeared immediately after giving her the silver bracelet), and Chiron (a self-replenishing quiver of silver and bronze tipped arrows – he had talked it over with Thalia), so it was a surprise that Leo had even known it was her birthday.

She smiled at him, "Thanks, Leo. How did you know?"

He shrugged, "I heard Thalia tell you. I didn't really know what to give you, but I do know that birthdays are supposed to be special." He put his hands in his tool belt, pulling an assortment of scraps that he immediately started fiddling with – of all the demigods in the camp, Leo's ADHD went to whole new level.

Annabeth nodded in agreement, not knowing what to say. She truly wanted one thing for her birthday, but it was obvious that she wasn't getting it any time soon. Turning to the package in her hands, she removed the tapes from the brown packaging paper and pulled out the box. Inside was the best gift that she had gotten in the entire day.

Annabeth gasped at the digital picture frame displaying different pictures of her and Percy. A few seconds later, the picture changed to one of her, Jason and Thalia that had been taken a few weeks prior.

"I kind of put this together really quick, so I didn't get much of a chance to test it. If it gives you any problems, tell me and I'll fix right up," Leo said. "You can change the frequency that the pictures will change, and if you want to add more, there's a slot on the side for a memory stick. Piper was the one who thought of it, and I just built it, but everyone chipped in with the pictures."

Annabeth looked up at him with tears in her eyes, "Thank you." She hugged a surprised Leo.

He gave her a lopsided grin, "Hey, don't mention it. I'll see you tomorrow at the bunker, all right?"

She nodded in agreement, and they left to the campfire where they separated to join their respective cabins. Thalia was giving Leo the evil eye when she saw him come in with her, but she smiled sadly when she saw the expression on her face.

"Hey," she patted the seat next to her, and Annabeth sat, "how're you holding up?"

Annabeth shrugged, "I'm better now… but I still miss him, you know?"

Thalia nodded, "Yeah, I know. I miss the Kelp Head."

Silence fell on the two girls as the Amphitheater filled up with campers. Jason Grace approached the two girls, wishing Annabeth a happy birthday as he sat next to his sister, and Annabeth thanked him. After that, Chiron shushed everyone and they started to sing different song.

Annabeth turned to Thalia as the sing-along's volume grew, "I saw my mother today."

Thalia's head whipped around in surprise, "What?"

Annabeth nodded grimly, "Only it wasn't her. I'm pretty sure I was talking to Minerva, because she didn't recognize me at first. She gave me this," she pulled out a silver drachma, like the Ancient Athenians used in the past, "She told me to follow the Mark of Athena, and that I should kill all the Romans."

At that, Jason turned to her, "Whoa…"

Annabeth shook her head, "Don't worry, Jason. Thalia would kill me if I hurt you."

Thalia laughed, "Not if you had a good reason." Jason rolled his eyes at this.

"That's not what I meant," he said, "She specifically said The Mark of Athena?"

Annabeth blinked in surprise, "You know what it is?"

"I'm not sure," Jason frowned, "There's only one legend that I can think of that relates to it, but if I'm right…"

"That bad?"

He shrugged, "It's a tale that's been passed down by the Praetors and their successors secretly. You won't find this in a common Roman or Greek library."

"What is it about?" asked Thalia.

Jason opened his mouth to respond, but whatever he was going to say was interrupted by the flames of the campfire changing colors and flaring up violently. Campers screamed in panic and pulled out weapons as the now hellfire started to spin like a tornado, burning hotter and hotter, when suddenly-

It folded into itself and burned out, leaving a shuddering boy in the middle of the fire pit.

It was dead silent. Annabeth pulled her knife from the sheath on her hip and started to approach the boy with caution, when she suddenly recognized the pale boy. She immediately yelled for Nectar and Ambrosia, grabbing the son of Hades from his shoulders and pulling him out of the pit. Once he was safely out, she turned him and started to check him for injuries.

One look at his face, and her heart broke. He was sobbing shamelessly, and she couldn't help but wonder what he had seen that had caused this reaction in him.

Nico looked at her, the expression on his face broken as he said the two words that killed her.

"He's dead."

Annabeth knew no more as darkness took her, and she dreamed of her lost love.

_June 10__th__, 2010 – Fourteen days to the Feast of Fortuna – Location: Cullen Coven_

As the sun chariot of Apollo climbed in the sky, a Greek statue sitting on the roof of a mansion was illuminated, its skin starting to shine like it was embedded with diamonds as the rays of the sun touched. The statue was beautiful, perfectly sculpted out of what seemed like the purest marble or granite. Movement, however, revealed to the observer that this statue was living.

Even as a vampire, Percy Jackson could not stay still for long, especially when he was brooding.

It was an activity that he would pursue often, especially since his memory was returning at an agonizingly slow pace. In the past few months he had managed to recover scraps of his childhood, including encounters with what he now knew were monsters, and different happy moments about his mother. The fact that he could remember her face always brought a smile his own, even though it was hell to call up the memory. His transformation had made all his old memories look like they were underwater, while the newer more recent ones were crystal clear – a side effect of his improved vision and senses.

He dared not contact his mother, though. Carlisle had stressed more than once the importance of keeping his turning a secret, especially since Percy was a newborn, no older than four months. He could easily lose control at any moment, and he shuddered to think what would happen if he was near someone he loved or was close to him. On top of that, if the Volturi Royal Coven were to find out about him…

His memories of his mother weren't the only ones that had returned as well. He knew he was a demigod, but before the transformation the identity of his father was wrong. He knew he was a son of Poseidon, not Neptune. He knew that he had a Cyclops half-brother named Tyson, and a pet hellhound named Mrs. O'Leary. What he still didn't remember were the places he lived or what he did every summer. He knew that it was spent with friends, and Annabeth, and that they were the happiest moments of his life, even if he didn't remember them.

Annabeth started popping in now and then as well, with seemingly insignificant flashes of information. An example was when Esme had shown him the house, and he thought how Annabeth would love the architecture, or when he was exploring Carlisle's library and he figured she would go crazy with all the ancient tomes in it. He swore to himself that when his year was up, he would search for her. He knew where to start – California. He remembered that her father lived in San Francisco, and that was where he would head.

Suddenly, an image intruded in his head. It was more like a flash of information, and it carried an intent with it, which his brain interpreted as someone calling his name.

He smiled, getting up from his position and jumping three stories to the ground below. Running off into the forest in a northerly direction, he followed his improved tracking abilities given to him by Lupa – another bonus from his turning. A few minutes later, a small homey cottage appeared, bearing the familiar scents of Bella, Edward, and his new "little sister," Renesmee Cullen.

Renesmee "Nessie" Cullen was an interesting case. She was the biological daughter of Edward and Bella, half-human, half-vampire – she had been conceived when Bella was still human seven years ago. As a hybrid, she had certain defining characteristics that immediately drew the eye; for starters, she had a heartbeat, and blood flowed through her veins. Another cool thing: on top of the fact that her skin was as impenetrable as vampire skin, she had a supernatural ability as well. It was the opposite of her father's telepathy; while he read thoughts, she could transmit them to others at a distance.

Said fifteen-year-old looking human-vampire hybrid was waiting for him impatiently in the small lawn in front of the cottage.

"Took you long enough," she said, "I was starting to wonder if you could run any slower!"

Percy grinned, stopping in front of her, "Hey, Nessie. Ready for a swim?"

She grinned in response, jumping up and flipping over and onto his back, slinging her strong arms around his neck, "Do you need to ask?"

Percy chuckled, and took off at his full speed. He was the fastest runner of his coven, and the strongest, even though Emmett constantly whined that it was because he still had his newborn strength. Nessie shrieked in delight at the speed he was running – being part-vampire herself, she enjoyed high speeds as well, and saying that Percy was _very _fast was an understatement, in her opinion.

A few minutes later, jumped over the river, crossing the La Push-Cullen treaty line. Special circumstances allowed Renesmee to cross over to the wolves territory whenever they she wanted, and though the treaty said otherwise, she would usually bring vampiric company – namely her mother, or Percy. Another fifteen minutes later, they could hear the roar of the sea smashing against the popular cliffs at the Quileute reservation and he slowed down to a walk, allowing Renesmee to climb down from his back.

"Wasn't the mutt supposed to meet us here?" Percy asked. Renesmee giggled.

"He'll be here," she assured him, "He's just making sure that Paul won't do anything with his sister."

Percy smiled knowingly, "I can relate to that."

Nessie glared, "I love him, you know that."

"Coming from a seven year old, that's just plain weird. Then again…" Percy shrugged, "I'm an expert at weird."

"Hey! Do I look seven years old to you?"

"No, but just because you look fifteen doesn't mean that you'll go around doing PDA with him."

"Mom approves!"

"But your Dad doesn't," he countered, "and neither do I."

"You're just being protective of me because he threatened your stupid Maserati."

Percy paused, "Not really. I mean, you know the whole fifteen-years-old-but-really-seven gives me a migraine, and I don't really mind it. Even if we're not related, you're like my little sister, so I can't help but be protective of you."

Nessie smiled happily, hugging him. When they separated, she said, "You know what mom would say to you about not being family."

Percy gave her a small smile, "I know." Just then, they reached the edge of the cliffs and he looked down at the raging sea below him, feeling the power behind each wave as it smashed against the rock. He was tempted to jump in, but Nessie's hold on his hand was enough to deter him.

The two sat down on the edge, doing a little small talk. Yes, he would train her tomorrow in swordplay. No, he didn't know where to get a celestial bronze sword. No, he wasn't going to tell her what her birthday gift was, especially since it was months away. After a while he paused, tilting his head to the side, "Is that Jacob I hear?"

Nessie nodded, and few seconds later, a huge russet-colored wolf burst out of the woods behind them. Percy looked away politely as he heard the air shift and Jacob phased into his human form as naked as the day he was born. Thankfully, Percy had turned away in time.

"Jake!" Nessie quickly got up from where she was sitting and rushed at him. Percy heard his enthusiastic greeting, and after a few seconds, deemed it safe enough to turn around.

"Jacob," he greeted. The twenty-five-year-old shape-shifter grinned at him, bumping his fist against his own.

"Percy," he returned the greeting, "I thought Bells was going to show up today."

Percy shrugged, "Edward planned a surprise date today, and she asked me to babysit instead. You guys go on ahead," he gestured to the open sea, "I want to check something out."

"Go for it," said Jacob, but Percy had already thrown himself off the cliff and into the sea.

There was only one thing that Percy loved more than running, and it was the open sea. True, most of the underwater life fled the moment his skin touched the water, but he was always caught up by the huge amounts of raw power that the sea gave him. Today, however, he wanted to try out something new.

Pushing the currents in the direction he wanted, he shot forward, swimming deeper and deeper into the sea, until there was almost no light – this didn't bother Percy at all, as he could see perfectly for miles in every direction. After a few minutes, his feet touched the sandy bottom, and he sat down, crossing his legs.

He relaxed, focused his mind, and took a deep breath.

_Is this how my dad feels?_

He could hear and taste and smell _everything _in the water. After making sure that he was sufficiently grounded enough, he started casting his mind out in every direction, searching for sea life. He found it in the form of a group of hippocampi, strange underwater creatures with the bodies of horses and dolphin tails – no legs of course.

_Son of the Sea god! _They cried when they felt the touch of his mind, and Percy smiled, _Son of the sea god, you have been missing for so long!_

_I know, _he told them, _and it must stay that way for some time. I was hoping that you could deliver a message to my father… and my family and friends?_

_Of course! _The cheerful hippocampus' voice sounded vaguely familiar, and Percy realized that it belonged to Rainbow, who was friend of Tyson.

_Tell them that I'm safe, but that I cannot return for some time, at least for a year. Tell Tyson not to worry, that I'll be home soon. And tell Annabeth… _Here he faltered, _tell her that the only thing I could remember at first was her name._

_Of course, my lord,_ said Rainbow, _Do we tell them the reason of your self-exile? Since they believe that you are dead…_

Percy blinked, surprised, but then he realized that they would be able to smell him just as well as he could smell them from afar; they knew what he was. _No, they can't know what I am or where I am. My father probably knows, but the others _cannot_ know. Don't give them hints of any kind, I beg you._ He paused, _Why do they think I'm dead?_

_I had heard from lord Tyson that the young Son of Hades had seen you enter the underworld, and he could not find you. He assumed the worst, and immediately told everyone at your camp. They still mourn._

_Then give them a reason not to mourn me._

A pause, _Very well, my lord. If they have messages of their own, how do we communicate with you?_

_I'll communicate with you. _Then Percy was struck by an idea, _Rainbow, could you stick around for a while? There's someone I would like you to meet – and don't worry, she won't bite._

_Of course, my lord. We know that you or your friends would not hurt us. _

_Thank you, Rainbow. _

_You're welcome._

With that, Percy stood and jumped, pushing himself off the sea ground at an extreme speed. Shooting out of the water near the cliffs like a missile, he landed in the exact same spot on the cliff he had jumped off of. The difference was that there were no shape-shifters or human-vampire hybrids in sight.

_Ah, hell, Edward's going to kill me!_  
…

_15 minutes later…_

In the end, there was no reason to panic. The two had gotten bored and had left to the lower beach, far enough from the reservation to avoid prying eyes. The rest of Jacob's pack had joined them, so at first Percy had been wary, but Seth Clearwater had broken the ice and everything was normal. After the few 'bloodsucker' and 'fish-breaths' jokes had passed, he actually found that he was actually enjoying himself.

The pack consisted of five members: Jacob (who was the leader of the pack), Leah Clearwater (Jacob's second-in-command), Seth Clearwater (Leah's younger brother), Quil Ateara (Jacob's cousin or half-brother, nobody really wanted to know), and Embry Call (just a member, yet a good friend to everyone).

Of the five members, Percy was friendliest with the Clearwater siblings. Seth was an easy going guy, very much like Percy in that sense, while Leah was Seth's opposite in the social sense. He could tell that Leah was very protective of her younger brother, even though the both of them were over twenty years old. Still, the sibling bond between the two made them inseparable, and Percy was reminded of the relationship with his own cousins, Thalia Grace and Nico di Angelo.

After a few minutes of talking, the conversation turned interesting, to say the least.

"So is it true?" asked Embry.

"What is?"

"About you being the son of some Greek god. It's bullshit, right?"

Percy chuckled, "Believe me, you have no idea how many times I've wished for it to be, as you say, _bullshit_."

Embry raised an eyebrow, "Prove it." By now, the others were interested as well.

Percy shrugged, "You've seen my powers before."

"But we've also seen other vampires have powers as well," Quil pointed out, "You have Nessie as an example. How do we know that you're any different?"

"You don't. But who's to say that they're not demigods as well, and that that's why they have powers?"

"Wouldn't they know?" asked Seth.

"Not really," said Percy, "A few years ago, I knew a lot of people who didn't know who their godly parent was. They were just demigods, and nothing else. It wasn't until I made a special request to the council that the gods actually started claiming their kids and making sure that they got to camp safely so that they could be trained."

"What council? And what makes you so special?" asked Leah.

"The Olympian Council," he answered with a smirk, "New York, New York, Empire State Building, 600th floor."

They laughed, "Dude," said Jacob between guffaws, "There is no 600th floor in the Empire State, even I know that."

Percy grinned knowingly, "I had the same reaction, Jake." He shared a knowing look with Renesmee – of all the vampires, only her, Edward and Alice believed him. Nessie smirked.

"Shall we?"

Percy grinned, "We shall."

Ignoring the looks of curiosity, Nessie jumped onto his back (Jacob looked slightly jealous at this), and once he felt that she was secure, he started to walk into the sea, the waves parting before them. Hearing the cries of alarm from the pack, he and Nessie shared a smirk as he stopped a wave right in front of them, making it bigger and bigger.

Then he sent it crashing onto the pack – by then it was at least eleven feet high. Making their escape, he plunged into the sea and created an air bubble around the two of them so that she could breathe and talk with each other. Manipulating the currents, he started to swim deeper and deeper into the pacific while Nessie looked around in wonder – Percy smiled at her expression.

After calling out with his mind, he felt the hippocampus approach. Nessie noticed Rainbow's arrival and her mouth dropped.

"Nessie, this is Rainbow," Percy said, "He's a hippocampus, and a friend of mine."

"He's beautiful…" she said. Rainbow poked his head through the bubble, and Nessie reached out tentatively to pet him.

"Go ahead," Percy reassured her. Nessie was quick to obey, and soon enough she was giggling when Rainbow licked her face.

Then everything went to Hades.

Percy felt, rather than saw the huge shadow that was emerging from the bottom of the ocean.

_Get her to the surface! _He cried, grabbing Nessie and shoving her onto the hippocampus. He manipulated the air bubble so that it would cover her mouth and nose only as Nessie grabbed his arm in panic._ What's going on?_ She thought at him.

"_No time! Get to the surface and stay there! 'bow, get her out of here!"_

_Yes, my lord. _The hippocampus shot upwards while Percy shot towards the creature.

It resembled an enormous lobster, with grey skin and multiple eyes that glared at him angrily. It had multiple legs on the side, and right next to its head two enormous pincers, each three times bigger than him, snapped at him. The creature itself was as long as an eighteen-wheeler truck, and three times as wide.

_A leviathan? What in the name of Tartarus is that thing doing here?_ Leviathans were more common in the Atlantic, with nesting grounds in the Sea of Monsters – namely, the Bermuda Triangle, but far away from his father's palace. To see one here in the Pacific was bad news.

Percy was broken from his thoughts as the Leviathan spoke, _I come bearing a message from my patron._

The word patron sparked his memory, and he recalled the conversation he had had with the gorgons before they almost killed him. _The goddess Gaea, of course! Even now, her armies are growing in numbers, and will soon start the march south. At the Feast of Fortune, she'll awaken, and the demigods will be cut down…_

"_What is this message?" _asked Percy as he pulled his pen from his pocket, and Riptide grew in his hand. The leviathan seemed to sneer.

_Death,_ it said, and it charged.

Meanwhile, Nessie had just emerged from the now-turbulent sea, her air bubble popping as soon as she was out of the water. Rainbow nickered below her as he swam closer to the edge. Jacob was waiting for her anxiously with his pack behind him, and they openly stared at the mystical creature she was riding.

"Nessie!" Jacob cried in relief, "Are you alright? Where's Percy?"

"I don't know," she answered, "He saw something down there and he sent me up here with Rainbow. Jake, he was afraid, I could see it in his face…"

Jacob walked into the low water, pulling her off the hippocampus and hugging her close to him. "It's ok," he said, even though he wasn't sure himself, "He'll be alright."

Just then, Rainbow nickered a warning. Nessie looked at him, said "thank you," and the hippocampus nudged her hand fondly, before turning around and quickly disappearing into the sea.

Just then, Percy himself emerged farther out in the water with his sword in hand. He turned towards them, the vampire's expression turning to one of horror as he saw that they were still in the water. "Jake, get yourself and Nessie out of the water NOW!"

Too late.

The ocean behind Percy exploded, and the huge crustacean's body was revealed to all as it seemed to stand on the water, pincers snapping in the air and legs working in all directions. Jacob immediately turned around and ran towards the shore, his pack helping him and looking at the monster in horror.

Percy had reacted quickly when the leviathan emerged from the water behind him. He roared, and the sea roared with him as a fist made entirely of water smashed into the monster's underbelly, pushing it farther into the ocean. The leviathan screeched in pained surprise as it toppled onto its back in the water. Percy wasted no time in skimming on top of the water like a jet ski and slashing off one of its legs. He tried to make another quick dash towards it, but by then the creature had recovered and was ready for him.

Charging at him, it surprised Percy with its speed – it was almost on par with a hippocampus. One of the pincers smashed into him, sending Percy skipping on the water. He recovered quickly, though, and when the monster charged at him again, he managed to dive out of the way and slice off the tip of its pincer. It started to click angrily as it scuttled sideways on top of the water.

Just then, Percy remembered the giant crab he had fought on the Princess Andromeda during the second Titan war. The crab had been smaller than the leviathan, but he remembered that it had had a chink right in its underbelly. It was a long shot, but what he to lose?

_I need to get under it, _he thought. He rushed forward, skimming across the water and surprising the creature. In response, once he was in range the leviathan snapped at him with its pincers, but he slid threw himself forward, diving under it.

"For Poseidon!" he shouted, and he shoved Riptide in the monsters belly – it was tough armor, but no match against his vampiric strength. The resulting screech of pain was very satisfying, but unfortunately it seemed that it wasn't done with Percy. It tried to crush him, but Percy merely let himself sink under the waves and away from the leviathan after pulling Riptide out. That's when he noticed the water heal the monster.

_Ok then, time to get you out of the water._

Once again manipulating the currents, the vampire demigod shot forward, crashing against the monsters underbelly and sending the two of them crashing onto the sandy shore, the leviathan on its back. The wolves immediately got to work, phasing and starting to tear at it with razor-sharp teeth and claws and jumping back when it would try to claw at them. They didn't do much damage, but they were successfully keeping it occupied and on its back.

Percy dashed towards them with his sword in hand, standing in front of the monsters mouth. The smell coming from the thing was repugnant, like putrefied lobster that had been in the sun for days.

It the monster started to still as if it recognized that it was going to die soon. _You think that this is over?_ it clicked to Percy, _My mistress shall never stop pursuing you! Your death will come to pass! You shall not live to see the return of the Firstborn!_

Percy rolled his eyes, filing the information away, "Yeah, yeah, like I haven't had gods and immortals try to kill me before, tell me something I don't know."

And with that, he swung Riptide in an arc and split the leviathan's face in half. It didn't even twitch.

He heard the air shift around him once more as the wolves phased into their human forms.

"What the hell is this thing?" asked Quil.

"A leviathan. A sea monster from the deepest pits in the ocean," answered Percy. He wasn't tired, thank his vampire endurance, but he just wanted to go home at this point. He looked at Jacob, "Where's Nessie?"

"A few miles inland," he said, looking at the dead monster in disgust and wrinkling his nose, "Jeez, this thing stinks worse than you, Perce."

"I beg to differ; I've smelled worse things as a human, even worse than you _or _this thing." He wrinkled his nose at the memory of Nereus, the old man of the sea.

"So this whole Greek gods bullshit _is _true, then," said Embry, looking at him in awe.

Percy smiled, "Don't let them hear you say that."

"I'm afraid it's a little too late for that."

Percy whirled around in surprise at the same time a powerful scent of sea struck his nose. A man was standing at the edge of the water, dressed in Khaki Bermuda shorts, a Hawaiian Style shirt and leather sandals. He had black hair with green eyes that glowed with power, but the skin around his eyes and cheeks was crinkled as if he smiled a lot, like he was at that moment. He held a five-foot long trident in his hand, the butt of the enormous weapon stuck in the sand.

"Dad," Percy exclaimed in surprise. He grinned, and surprised Poseidon with his speed as he grabbed his father in hug, which was eagerly returned.

Poseidon chuckled, "It's good to see you, son." When they separated, Poseidon grinned at his son, "You've grown… and I'll say it, Apollo's looks have got nothing on you."

"Dad!"

"What? It's only the truth."

"I doubt he would agree, god of truth or not."

Poseidon laughed, "Indeed."

Percy cocked his head to the side, "Why are you here? I thought Zeus had closed down Olympus last November and recalled all the gods."

"Oh, he did. We just never listened. I have a kingdom to take care of, and besides, you're in my domain, and you're my son. I'm not going to stop talking to you just because my paranoid idiot of a brother thinks he so high and might-"

"Dad…" Percy warned him as thunder rumbled in the sky.

Poseidon sighed, "Sorry, son. Things have been hectic down in Atlantis, and this whole Giant business… well, it's getting out of hand."

Percy frowned, "I've been out of contact for some time now. I can't get any Iris-messages out, and this is the first monster I've killed since I've been here. What's going on?"

Poseidon glanced at the wolf pack, who was staring at the two of them with slack jaws, "I can't tell you everything, I'm afraid – the Ancient Laws forbid me. I can give you some advice, a warning, and a gift." Percy nodded; he knew it was useless to ask for more than that. Poseidon continued, "First, the advice. Speak to your family. Ask Carlisle of the ancient wars. Also, your seer friend may have some insight. After that, seek Lupa out once more.

"Secondly, the warning. As you know, Gaea has managed to bring back creatures and monsters so ancient they had faded from mortal memory."

"Stheno and Euryale," Percy remembered, "The gorgon sisters of Medusa."

Poseidon nodded in agreement, "Yes, and they're not the only ones. The leviathan you just slayed is one of the ancient ones. You're lucky that you have your vampirism, or else I doubt you would have survived. Keep your eyes open for anything unexpected. Gaia is looking for something, but I cannot fathom what it is.

"And now, for the gift," he said, "You are mostly invulnerable to all attacks, but fire, godly metals, and other powers can still kill you." Poseidon grabbed his trident and pointed it towards the Leviathan carcass, firing a blast of blue energy at it. The wolves scattered in surprise and fear, but they needn't have worried. The carcass started to glow, shrinking and changing colors until all there was in the sand was a huge whole where it had fallen. In the middle of the crater, a golden gauntlet rested in the sand. It was shaped just like the leviathan, and it was at least a fourteen inches long from tail to the tip of its pincers.

Poseidon nodded at it, and Percy walked over and picked it up, and it seemed to come alive. He held still, of course, as it climbed up his arm, around his back, and back down the other arm, settling itself and wrapping its legs around his left arm. On another person, the sharp legs would have cut into the wearer's skin, but his vampire dermis was more than enough to protect him. The pincers pointed straight ahead, and Percy realized that he could also punch with the pincers and deal massive damage.

Percy walked back to his father, kneeling before him, "Thank you, father."

Poseidon smiled kindly, motioning for him to stand, "It's no Aegis, but hopefully it'll protect you just as well. _Corálli_ is its name."

"Coral," Percy translated, and the gauntlet responded. The pincers moved down, reaching around Percy's hand and forming a grip while the body started to expand, forming a golden roman-style rectangular shield. It was huge, about five feet long and two feet wide – it could easily cover his whole body if he stood behind. For a human it would be impossible to move with it at all, but Percy had no trouble with it. Looking at the front, he grinned when he saw the logo on the front: A trident with two leviathan pincers instead of side prongs, the middle prong being a sword blade. There were words engraved on the edges of the shield, over and over again: _Sime Corálli, Aegis das Thallassa. _

"_I am Coral, shield of the Seas,"_ Percy read in wonder. He looked from the shield to thank his father, but no words came to mind. His father smiled in response – they both did have a way with words, after all.

"Good luck, son," Poseidon told him, stepping closer to the sea, "And remember, the sea does not like to be restrained, but it will yield when it has to." With that, he dissipated into mist.

Percy looked at the spot where his father had disappeared, "Good bye, dad." Looking at Corálli, he let go of the grip, and the shield shrank back into a gauntlet. Turning to the wolves and Renesmee, who had joined them without him noticing, his expression turned somber.

"Let's go," he said, "We've got work to do."

**Like it? Hate it? Let me know!**


	5. Peace is overrated (apparently)

**Sorry I've taken so long. College is… tough.**

**I would like to mention that I've decided to edit some of the beginning chapters of my other story, **_**The Chaos Chronicles: Awakening**_**. Some parts just don't fit in anymore, and some of the lines from the quest prophecy don't make sense at all to me, and I wrote the damn thing. In a way, it's a reason as to why I haven't updated.**

**I love writing… don't you? ;D**

Heroes of Olympus Book 2: Rites of Blood

Chapter 5 – Peace is overrated (apparently)

_June 10__th__, 2010 – Fourteen days to the Feast of Fortuna – Location: Olympic Peninsula (Quileute Territory)_

As he ran to Cullen Manor with the rogue pack following him (Nessie was riding Jacob), Percy did something that he rarely did before his transformation: he planned things out. Obviously, he wasn't the best person – more like individual, really – to do this he was more of a do-first-think-later guy, which was why at the moment he was thanking whichever Greek or Roman god that thought of giving vampires enhanced brains.

First, the roman camp was in danger. The gorgons had said that Gaea would march on said camp on the "Feast of Fortuna", so the first thing he had to do was figure out what in the name of Hades did that mean. Carlisle would be the one for that.

Secondly, he was a vampire, and that meant that he had to figure out how not to get killed by the romans or accidentally suck one dry. Again, Carlisle, though Bella might be able to help as well.

Third, Camp Half-Blood. The encounter with his father had jarred free the last piece of memory he needed, and if he wanted to, he could be in Long Island by tomorrow evening. His dead heart yearned to see Annabeth again, but until he got his thirst under control, he sure as _hell _wasn't going to risk her. Besides, Camp was pretty close to Olympus – hopefully Gaia wouldn't risk an attack. Then he remembered the Battle of the Labyrinth, and that hope was squandered.

Fourth, the life he was having with his coven. He wasn't complaining, but why was his father showing up now of all times? He had had at least three months of relative peace, spending time with the Cullen's as he mastered his newborn strength and thirst. He had spent the time talking to everyone, describing his life as a demigod (everyone was curious about _that_), and if he wasn't talking, he was in the library, studying Carlisle's massive tomes. Now that he didn't have dyslexia anymore, he found that he actually enjoyed the activity, and his vampire-enhanced brain soaked up the knowledge like a sponge. Mortal new programs gave no semblance that anything was wrong, and so Percy had taken the time to relax and come to terms with the fact that he was now immortal – the one thing that he had been keen to avoid for Annabeth.

Finally, number five: What in the name of Rhea did Poseidon mean when he said "Giant business"?

Percy sighed as he and the pack crossed the treaty line at a dead sprint. Why the Fates hated him, was a question he was going to wring out of them the next time he saw them.

_Percy, what's going on?_

"I don't know Nessie… at least, not yet. Hopefully Alice and Carlisle will have some insight."

A pause, and then came the question he didn't know how to answer, _Will you leave?_

"I don't know, Ness… I don't know."

No more words were exchanged as they made it to the house. Percy had called ahead (yes, he know had a cellphone), so he wasn't surprised when Bella's Ferrari was parked in the front. Bella herself was probably inside, but Edward was waiting for them. His face became unreadable as he sorted through Renesmee's, the packs, and his own thoughts. Percy slowed to a walk, Renesmee climbing down from Jacob and running to her father who picked her up. The pack turned into the woods, but Percy heard the distinct sound of a wolf phasing.

"Percy, what…?"

Percy interrupted him, "As you can see, everyone's alright. Let's get inside, I need to talk to Alice and Carlisle. Not in that order. Preferably Alice."

Edward scowled as Jacob emerged from the woods wearing a pair of shorts only, "No more babysitting jobs for you." Edward turned around and vanished into the house, Nessie in his arms.

Percy followed him and walked inside the house, though Jacob stayed outside. As per his call, the family was waiting for him in the living room, casting confused glances to him, Edward, and Alice, who was (strangely) rubbing her forehead.

"Percy," said Carlisle, standing, "What happened? And what's with the gauntlet?"

Percy sighed, "We were ambushed."

Bella snarled, "Vampires?"

He shook his head, "Leviathan."

Bella blinked in confusion, and she wasn't the only one. Carlisle frowned, "Aren't those the mythological guardians of the city of Atlantis?"

"They were, back before my father was King of the Seas. Now they're just rogue, pissed off monsters with an attitude." His family was still confused, so he sighed, "Let me explain…"

A few minutes later, he finished talking about the encounter with the Leviathan and the subsequent talk with his father. He turned to Carlisle, "Carlisle, what were the Ancient Wars?"

Carlisle sighed. "Your father probably meant the events that brought the Volturi into power. Take note that this was far before my time, so my knowledge is lacking in some parts. Eleazar from the Denali coven probably knows more, seeing as he was with them longer than I was.

"As you know, there were rulers before the Volturi. Before the Volturi, the Romanian vampires had been in power for at least a millennium. They were composed by ten members, of whom only two are still alive today."

"Vladimir and Stefan," Bella murmured. Percy looked at her in confusion while Carlisle nodded in agreement.

"On top of the ten members, they had a guard that was similar to the one the Volturi, but this one focused only on brute strength – in those days, supernatural powers weren't as strong as they are today. As such, it was filled with vampires like Emmett, and Felix from the Volturi."

Carlisle frowned, "I'm not exactly sure what happened, but I do know that Aro, Marcus, and Caius, along with their wives, Sulpicia, Athenodora, and Didyme, got together in Greece and started to gather followers with talents. Eventually, when they had gathered enough power they attacked the Romanians, eventually defeating them after a century of war. When they took over, they abolished the Romanian laws, and declared that vampires were now to remain unnoticed by humans. They then went after the Egyptians, who had been in competition with the Romanians for power just as long. Again, only two members survived, Amun and Kebi."

Carlisle leaned into his seat, his tale finished. Percy frowned, "Why would my father ask about the Ancient Volturi wars?"

"I don't know Percy. Maybe it's the fact that they originated in Greece…?"

Percy shook his head, "I'm not exactly a historian, but I do know that there would be records of some kind if they were related to the gods, _especially _since the Volturi are just as old. Maybe not at Camp Half-Blood, but there would be something lying around somewhere."

Edward spoke up then, "Unless the records were destroyed. After all, history is written by the victors."

Silence enveloped the living room as the vampires remained thoughtful. It was broken by a gasp from Alice, whose body suddenly doubled over as if she had been punched.

Then, she slumped forward, and Edward let out a scream of pain.

Thoughts flew through Percy's head as everyone helped Edward or Alice, Jasper catching the latter and Bella the former. _Vampires don't feint, especially vampires with abilities to see the future-_

_Oh, gods no._

"Jasper, get away from her!" Percy screamed his warning just in time as a scent of reptile hit his nose. Jasper backed away in horror – if Edward was anything to lead by, Percy didn't want to know what he was feeling from Alice with his empathy. Thankfully, the rest of the vampires got away from Alice and Edward recovered quickly, his face betraying his terror as Alice stood, looking at the floor, her hair hiding her face. Nessie was quick to hide behind Percy's legs.

When she looked up, her eyes completely covered in a familiar green glow as she started to float an inch above the ground.

Everyone was paralyzed in fear, and were slowly backing away as Percy stepped forward, motioning for everyone to stay silent, though his insides were screaming for him to run and hide and say something along the lines of _no thanks, wrong door, just looking for the bathroom_. Alice opened her mouth, and a green vapor emerged in the form of various snakes.

_I am the oracle of Delphi, speaker of the prophecies of Phoebus Apollo, Slayer of the mighty Python._ The ethereal voice was heard not in the air, but in the minds of everyone present.

Then, the worst possible thing that could happen happened. Oracle Alice looked away from Percy, switching her gaze to the human-vampire hybrid hiding behind him. The Oracle's voice seemed to echo, _Approach, Seeker, and ask._

Nessie looked at the Oracle in fear. Her parents started to move, but Percy stopped them, "No! Don't interrupt!"

Nessie's telepathic voice entered his mind, _Percy, what do I do?_ It was underlined with panic, and Percy's heart went out to her as he kneeled next to her and whispered in her ear what she had to do, squeezing her hand for reassurance.

Renesmee Carlie Cullen nodded, and stepped forward, "What is my destiny?"

The ethereal snakes surrounded her and Alice, pooling together and forming into four distinct figures of Nico, Thalia, Rachel, and Annabeth. Nico-look-alike looked at her, and opened his mouth, speaking in the raspy voice of the Oracle: _You shall join two to defeat the bane beyond the gods._

Thalia was next, speaking in the same voice: _Cold Immortal and Warm Mortal united prevail against all odds._

Then Rachel: _Four to return with the Legion's crown, flames of live give freedom to death._

And finally, Annabeth: _Rites of Blood by child's hand alone, son of blood and strength returneth._

With that, the figures began to dissolve. The ethereal smoke started to retreat, coiling into huge green serpent before slithering back into Alice's mouth. As the tail of the mist snake disappeared back into her mouth, Alice's eyes reverted back to their natural gold before they rolled back into her head and she fell to the ground. She never made it, as Percy quickly caught her in his arms.

"What was that?"

Percy sighed, looking at Jasper with a sad expression, "That… was a prophecy."

A groan from Alice stopped Jasper's answer, and he decided to flash to her side. Percy handed her over to him without complaint – he was sure that the Oracle was out of her body as it was. He immediately turned to Nessie, picking her up and hugging her before passing her to her parents who immediately did the same.

Jasper started to ask her, "Alice? Alice, honey, can you-?"

"Jazz, shut up, you're giving me a headache…"

Percy sighed in relief, an action that was mimicked by the others. Carlisle stepped forward.

"Let's take her to the study, give her a check-up."

Just then, Alice opened her eyes and glared at him, "The only thing that's wrong with me right now is the fact that my mouth tastes like snake – ten thousand-year-old snake to be exact."

"Actually, the spirit of the oracle of Delphi is no older than the gods, so… less than five thousand-year-old snake," said Percy.

Alice from her perch in Jasper's arms glared at him, "Not helping. Now explain what the hell was that… that thing." Alice shuddered slightly, no doubt an aftereffect of the temporal possession she had just undergone.

Percy sighed, and turned to Edward, "When Alice was possessed, what did you read from her head?"

Edward frowned, "I… I don't know. I tried to read her mind as soon as she froze up because I thought she was having a vision… but as soon as I touched her mind, it was like someone was driving a blunt red-hot poker into my skull. It was… I don't know what it was."

Percy nodded, "The oracle is a powerful spirit. Back in the old days, there were more, but Delphi's oracle was considered the most powerful because her temple was located in an area sacred to more than one god – Gaea, Thetis, Poseidon, Demeter, to name a few. Apollo was the last one to take on the guardianship of the Oracle, and he's remained its patron ever since.

"The purpose of the Oracle of Delphi was simple: mortals from all around the world would consult her for her wisdom about important matters of public policy to personal affairs, and the gods would answer by giving advice in the forms of prophecies and riddles, like the one you just heard. Nowadays, we demigods consult her when we want or need to go on a quest." At this, Percy sighed, "So much for peace and relaxation."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, hold on a sec," said Emmett, "You're saying that Alice was just hijacked by some freaky ancient spirit to give us free crappy poetry?"

"Nothing is free in this world, Emmett," Percy said seriously, "Especially knowledge above all things. A prophecy is a set of guidelines, an instruction manual, if you will, to give a vague idea of how to do something. Something that valuable is as sure as Hades not free.

"What's worrying me isn't the prophecy itself; it's the fact that the oracle actually possessed Alice in the first place. The Oracle's spirit has been passed on from maiden to maiden to continue to speak the prophecies of Apollo and Delphi – and we know Alice is no virgin." Percy paused – the moment was too good to pass: "Unless of course Jasper's been lying for a few centuries at this point."

It worked. Jacob (When did he come in?), Emmett and Rosalie howled with laughter while the rest of the family either chuckled (Carlisle, Esme, Nessie, and Edward) or smiled (Bella). Jasper downright glared at Percy while Alice giggled in his arms. Alice reached up, kissing his jaw, and Jasper smiled at her and set her on her feet.

When the laughter cooled down, Alice asked, "So what's so wrong about this oracle taking possession of non-virgins?"

Percy looked at the floor somberly, "There was a woman, back in the nineties or eighties, who was a lover of Hermes. She had had a son a few months prior, and when she tried to take the Oracle's spirit…" Percy shuddered involuntarily at the memories of May Castellan, "It broke her mind. There was a curse on the Oracle's spirit at the time, so she was doomed to see flashes of the future for the rest of her life, and as a mortal, she couldn't do anything to prevent them. She just… She just went crazy. I met her last year, and it wasn't pretty."

Percy looked at Edward, and judging from his expression, he had seen Percy's memories in his mind. Edward's eyes widened, "So there could be side-effects?"

"Maybe. I don't really know – the only thing we can do now is look at the prophecy itself. But first, Alice needs a checkup, no excuses." Percy focused, and quickly drawing water from the sink in the kitchen (his power had grown), he quickly enveloped Alice's limbs as she immediately started to protest.

"Hey, how did I not see that?" she cried, pouting.

Percy's eyebrows rose in surprise, "You didn't?"

Alice shook her head, "No, I didn't… as a matter of fact, I can't see any of our futures at all!"

"Ah, that would be my fault, I'm afraid."

Everyone whirled around in surprise as a pillar of flame erupted in the middle of the living room. Percy immediately moved the water imprisoning Alice's limb towards the fire, but it evaporated upon contact. He reached for Riptide, but instead smiled widely when the fire died down, "Well, I certainly didn't expect to see you here, my Lady." A unique yet pleasant smell assaulted his nose – it reminded him of the campfire at Camp Half-Blood where the campers would have their sing-a-long's every night.

He received a smile in return, "A favor for your father. He does care for you, you know… and you are one of a kind. Even if I didn't owe him anything, I would not have hesitated to help you."

"Thank you, my Lady." To the others, he said, "Vampires, Wolves, and Hybrid, may I present to you Lady Hestia, goddess of Family, Hearth, and Home, guardian of Elpis, and the thirteenth – and most important – Olympian."

Jaws went slack, and Hestia's cozy flame-filled eyes seemed to dance with amusement, "Percy Jackson, you flatter me." The goddess was in her eight-year-old form, and just like the first time he met her, was dressed in a simple brown dress with a scarf wrapped around her head.

Percy's grin seemed to grow wider, "I only state the truth, Hestia." He motioned for everyone to bow, and when they were done, his expression turned somber, "However, pleasantries aside, why are you here?"

At this, Hestia's expression softened – she did have a soft spot for Percy – and she said, "I bring some advice, and some help. While your father may not be able to help you as much due to the Ancient Laws, Zeus does not keep his eyes where they should be… and as such, he will not notice me taking a temporal leave of absence." Hestia winked at him, and turned to the Cullens – specifically, Nessie.

"Renesmee Cullen," she said, "Come forward, my dear."

At Percy's reassuring nod, she did so, albeit shyly, her parent sharing a worried glance with each other as Nessie bowed slightly to the goddess. Hestia sat on the ground, crossing her legs, and after motioning for Nessie to do the same, she smiled sadly.

"So young, and yet already called forward to duty… The Fates are cruel indeed." At Nessie's crestfallen face, Percy sat down next to her and put an arm around her shoulders while her parents moved behind her reassuringly. A tear left its trail as it traveled down her cheek, and to everyone's surprise, it was Hestia who reached out and wiped it from her face.

Percy then asked the question that was on everyone's minds, "Hestia… why Renesmee?"

Hestia sighed, removing her hand from Nessie's cheek, "Why were you chosen as the Hero of the Great Prophecy? Why does anything in this world happen the way they do? It is Fate, child. But do not despair, for even though our fates are our own, we are never alone."

Nessie smiled at Hestia's words, obviously relieved. "The prophecy said that a giant beyond the gods would be defeated… what does that mean?"

Hestia frowned, "It means that war is upon us again, I'm afraid. The immortal children of Gaia and Tartarus have risen once more. As to the land beyond the gods, you are not far. In fact, you have relatives living in the area."

"Denali?" asked Carlisle.

"Not so specific, I'm afraid. I do know that the giant you seek is in Alaska. However, before you do anything, you must go south. Follow your tracker's sense, Perseus. There lies your first step in this journey, _for all roads lead to Rome_. You have until the Feast of Fortune."

Hestia then stood, Percy and Nessie mimicking her. Hestia held out her hand, and an eight-foot long iron staff materialized in it. One of its ends was blackened, and Percy realized why – it was the staff Hestia used to tend to the hearth.

Hestia's other hand then lit on fire, causing the vampires except Percy and Nessie to shuffle away nervously. Percy knew why – to kill a vampire, you tear the limbs off, and set the carcass on fire (he didn't know if his partial immunity to fire as a demigod son of Poseidon was transferred with his vampirism, but he wasn't going to bet his life on it). Hestia put her lit hand on the iron staff, and Percy and Nessie watched as a small rod measuring eighteen inches melted off from the heat. Hestia set down the now six-foot long staff on the floor, placing the melted rod next to it, and waved her hand over the two objects.

Immediately, the pieces of iron shimmered, turning into solid bronze weapons before their eyes. The staff seemed to narrow slightly, one of the ends sharpening until the entire thing became a _pilum_, a light roman javelin, while the smaller eighteen inch rod had become a lethal eighteen inch knife. Nessie's gaze was filled with awe and wonder, and Hestia smiled at her reaction before making the two weapons float upwards with another wave of her hand.

"Go ahead," she said, as her body and clothes started to flicker, "Take them, and wield them with honor. The _pilum_ will not break unless it is your wish, and if so the tip shall repair itself every day. These are my gifts to you, Renesmee Cullen, first and last Champion of Hestia, and Legacy of Silvia and Concordia!" The last was said as the goddess' dress and scarf turned to black and her staff reappeared in her right hand, accompanied by a more stern expression.

It was in that moment that Percy realized that he was no longer looking a Greek goddess.

Vesta's body started to glow, and realizing what was about to happen, he covered Nessie's eyes, shouting at the others, "Cover your eyes and LOOK AWAY!" As he shouted the last syllable of warning, there was an explosion of light and power behind him that lasted a few seconds before vanishing suddenly.

When everyone looked back at the place previously occupied by the goddess, they were rewarded with a burnt floor, two floating weapons, and a sealed scroll.  
….

After Vesta (or Hestia, whatever) had left, nobody moved. If someone had decided to stop by and peer into the Cullen living room, they would have been granted the sight of 11 statues looking at the curious sight of two weapons, a scroll, and a burnt floor. It had taken the arrival of Jacob's pack to startle the vampires and company out of their shock. Bella moved over to hug a shaking Nessie while Percy immediately took control of the situation, sending Jacob and his pack to scout the area – there was a chance that the goddess' aura and final flare of power might have attracted unwanted company. Jacob was reluctant to leave Nessie, but relented when he remembered the Leviathan.

After Jacob's departure, Percy turned to the vampires, but whatever he was going to say was forgotten when he saw Renesmee's crying face. Instead, he walked over to the floating gifts and took the scroll. It was sealed with wax, and after sparing it a curious glance, he put it in his pocket for safekeeping.

A small breeze alerted him to someone behind him. Bella spoke to him, "You'll protect her, right?"

Percy turned around and looked at the distraught mother, "I swear on the river Styx that I will look after her to the best of my abilities." Thunder rumbled outside the house, but the two vampires refused to break eye contact. After a few seconds, however, Bella's expression crumpled as a sob racked through her body, and she turned back to her family.

Percy didn't blame her.

His family knew of all the quests he had taken. They knew about the war, about all the death and the blood and the suffering. And thanks to Rosalie, they even knew about the extent of his power. She had pissed him off one day, and in his anger he had summoned a hurricane so strong that the winds had picked the blond vampire up and thrown her a few miles away. Thank the gods that they had been in the middle of the mountains at the time, because the hurricane had accompanied by a small earthquake as well.

There was no way in Tartarus that he wasn't going to go with Renesmee.

_Besides, _he told himself, _if not me, then who would go? Jasper? Edward? Rosalie? _He scoffed, _they don't know how to deal with this. Hades, _I_ don't know how to deal with this._

So after all these years, how was he still alive?

"Luck," Percy jumped at Edward's voice breaking the silence, "skills, power, friends, and the fact that you don't give up no matter the odds. I've seen your memories – if there's anyone here that can take of her, it's you, Percy. I wouldn't trust anyone else, except for me, Bella, or Jacob."

Percy looked around, looking at each of the Cullens in turn. Carlisle, Esme, Emmett, Jasper, Alice… everyone had reassuring smiles even though he knew that they were worried about Renesmee as well. Speaking of Nessie, the seven-year-old hybrid in question had taken a deep breath, standing straight with a defiant expression. She smiled at him, and that was all it took for him to smile back.

"You do realize that you'll have to teach me how to use these things, right?" Nessie nodded at the floating weapons for emphasis.

Percy's smile turned into an evil grin, "Then we better get started."

Nessie mirrored his expression, and with a newfound confidence, took the _pilum_ in her right hand and the knife in her left.

They walked outside, the rest of the Cullens trailing behind the two of them. After instructing Nessie the correct way to hold the javelin and knife combo, he pulled out his pen, uncapping it and letting Riptide expand. He looked at the Leviathan gauntlet on his left arm, "Coral!", and his new shield sprung into existence.

"Defend yourself!" he said, and Renesmee nodded, raising her weapons. Percy charged, moving at vampiric speed as he swung Riptide in a downward arc – Nessie retaliated by jumping to the left, pushing his sword away with her knife and jabbing at his head with her _pilum_, which was blocked by his shield. Percy pushed with his shield, and started a flurry of attacks against Nessie, forcing her on the defensive.

"Stop! No, don't move, stay right where you are," he said. The hybrid stayed completely still, and Percy proceeded to correct her posture, changing the position of her hand on the _pilum_, and indicating how to defend herself correctly with the knife.

"Lupa told me something once – never fight force directly with force," he told her, "You're using the edge of your knife to stop my sword completely instead of letting it glance off of the knife's side. It's true that you have the strength to do it, but can your knife handle the strain? Celestial bronze _is _stronger than mortal steel, but eventually it wears down if you're not careful. Take care of your weapons, and they'll take care of you. Now, again, and this time, move your feet more, if you were any more still you'd be a statue!"

And so it went for the rest of the day. The rest of the family watched with rapt attention as they fought, and after a while, they were joined by Jacob and his pack. Every now and then Jasper or surprisingly Carlisle would give a small input, but for the most part Percy and Nessie ignored their audience, Percy taunting her every now and then.

Eventually, Percy decided that the game needed to change. Concentrating, he drew water from the moisture in the air (they _were _in Washington, after all – not a day went by when it didn't rain), solidifying it into a sphere and keeping it at Nessie's back, completely hidden from her but in plain sight for their audience.

Eventually, his plan worked. Jacob cried out a warning, and when Nessie was effectively distracted, he knocked her javelin and knife out of her hands with two successive strikes that left everyone with slack jaws.

Percy spoke, "We demigods have natural battle reflexes disguised as Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder. It gives us an edge in a fight, allowing us to pay more attention to our surroundings. It's an advantage that we appreciate and use without any regret. You as a half-vampire, however, have something different. I'm a four-month-old newborn, and when I hunt, I've noticed that my senses completely block everything out that's not related to my kill – it's only me and my prey. In all cases, this does not work. What if there's an arrow coming at your back? What if you're in an open battlefield and an enemy decides to stab you in the back? Keep your mind open at all times; focus on your senses and your surroundings, because there's no telling what could happen."

Nessie nodded in acceptance, panting from the fight, and Percy paused, before flicking his left index finger. Nessie's eyes mirrored her confusion before the widening in realization as she ducked the solid sphere of water. "Dodge," he told her as he sent the water at her again, and Nessie rolled away from the incoming missile.

Eventually, their training was stopped by Bella, who put her foot down by saying that Nessie needed her sleep. Truthfully, Percy agreed with her – he had just lost track of the time, and since they were leaving at noon, she would all the sleep she could get.

"We'll go hunting in the morning before we leave," he said, hugging her goodnight, "All of us. Ok?" Nessie nodded, and he smiled reassuringly at her before planting a kiss on her forehead. After that, Edward and Bella took her to their cabin for one last night of sleep while he went back inside the manor – the rest of the family had gone back inside already.

As he entered what used to be Edward's room, he thought about the question that Nessie had given him unintentionally when he kissed her. He thought about what he had gone through, both before and after his transformation – all the pain, the suffering, and the death. He thought about Luke Castellan. He thought about Camp Half-Blood. He thought about his Father, and about his brother, Tyson the Cyclops. He thought about his friends back at camp, his cousins, Nico and Thalia. He thought about his mother, who was waiting for him to come home. And finally, he thought about Annabeth, the girl he loved.

Then, he thought about the question itself: _In the end, was it all worth it?_

He didn't even hesitate to give his answer: _Fuck yes._


	6. Of Italian Encounters

Heroes of Olympus Book 2: Rites of Blood

Chapter 6 – Of Italian Encounters

_June 11__th__, 2010 – Eleven days to the Feast of Fortuna – Location: En-route to Camp_

"Ok, let's go through this again," said Renesmee, "The Oracle said we would join two others to defeat the bane beyond the gods. That's pretty self-explanatory, four people going to Alaska to beat something up."

Percy chuckled, "I think Emmett's rubbing off on you a little too much. Hey, don't give me that look, you know it's true!"

Nessie rolled her eyes, "Yeah, yeah, whatever. The second line is pretty simple as well, but do you know what 'the bane' that the prophecy talks about is?"

Percy frowned, "My dad said something… he mentioned giants. The only giant I can remember right now is my half-brother, Orion. Obviously, that's not who we're looking for."

"Orion was a son of Poseidon?"

"Yep."

"And a giant?"

"Well, I'm exactly sure about that. I'd rather not make any assumptions at this point."

Nessie sighed as she leaned her head onto the headrest, "Great. So until we get to this Roman camp, we know virtually nothing. I mean, what the Hades is the legion's crown? Or the Rites of Blood, or-"

"Nessie, calm down. Just relax." Percy reached over, grabbing her hand and squeezing it for reassurance, "We'll be fine. Oh, and by the way, try to start using the Roman names instead of the Greek ones? I don't want to find out if Celestial Bronze works on vampires."

Nessie smiled at him in thanks, quickly unbuckling her seat belt and climbing over the seat to go to the Maserati's backseat. When she was there, she lied down, putting a pillow under her head and closing her eyes. A few minutes later, her breathing evened out, and her body fell slack as she ventured into the realms of Morpheus.

Percy sighed. Three days into their quest, and already he was starting to worry. True, nothing extreme had happened yet, but wasn't that a good enough reason to believe that it was the calm before the storm?

But in the end, that wasn't worried him the most. He was a newborn vampire, having been turned in early February, and four months wasn't exactly enough time to go out in public and say, _oh hey, look at me, I have total control over my– is that a paper cut?_ Yeah, like _that_ was going to happen. After all, it took Carlisle nearly 300 years for him to get rid of the temptation that human blood gave to all vampires. Bella, who was the youngest before him, still had problems after seven years of being turned. In fact, she confessed to him that the first time she had ever tasted human blood since being turned was when she bit him to save his life.

Needless to say, he had taken precautions before going on the trip. He had hunted away almost the entire night, making sure that the burn in the back of his throat was abated to almost non-existence. After that, he asked Carlisle for a small test – he had been exposed to a small amount human blood (it had taken a few minutes to steal from the local blood bank), and while it was hard to control himself, he was proud to say that he had resisted quite well. Nessie helped him as well by projecting the disgust she felt when she ate vegetables – meats she could handle, and while she could survive on both human or vampire diets, she point-blank refused to eat vegetables.

The real test, however, was coming soon. He had avoided the nearby town of Forks completely, so he wasn't sure how he would react to the scent of fresh warm human blood, and surely demigod blood would be even more tempting?

_What would Annabeth say?_

The scary thing was, he didn't know.

He shook his head to rid himself of his thoughts. After all, Nessie had tasted human blood before, and she could handle walking in a heavily populated shopping mall with Alice and Rosalie. Still, he would be careful. He would avoid using his powers unless it was completely necessary – apparently, the need to feed was increased with continuous usage of his power. He would also hunt at least once every two days, making sure that no one would notice his departures.

There lied another problem – daylight. How would they hide their nature if the moment that they walked out in the sun they would start shining as if they had thousands of diamonds embedded into their skin? Unless there was some sort of super sunblock that could stop it, the sun was always going to shine on them, and they would always look like _sparklepires_, as Seth Clearwater had jokingly called them.

Mutt.

They would have to come clean, no doubt. Hopefully, the Romans wouldn't kill on sight, but if Lupa's reaction was anything to go by, they would definitely have some trouble.

They had reached the Wolf House earlier that day, in the wee hours of the morning before dawn, and a small scuffle had ensued before they had managed to convince Lupa and her wolves of their identities – being vampires had not helped in that issue. Lupa had been surprised when Nessie had introduced herself as the champion of Hestia, but she had nearly fallen over when Nessie claimed to be a Legacy of Silvia and Concordia.

Legacies, Lupa explained, were children and descendants of Demigods. Apparently, both Rhea Silvia and Coelia Concordia had been Vestal Virgins of Rome, Silvia being the mother of Romulus and Remus (the founders of Rome) and Concordia being the last head of the order of the Vestal Virgins, an order of priestesses dedicated to the Goddess Vesta (Hestia's Roman form), and the continuers of Rome. In a way, it also meant that she was both a Greek Legacy of Aphrodite, since Silvia was descended from Aeneas of Troy, son of Aphrodite, and a Roman Legacy of Mars, since Romulus and Remus were fathered by Mars.

It also meant that as a champion of Hestia, she was a sort-of Vestal Virgin as well. Jacob was going to be pissed – Vestal Virgins were maidens (duh), and they could only marry after 30 years of service to Rome.

Lupa had been amazed at the amount of famous ancestors that Nessie had, but that didn't mean anything to the she-wolf. She forced Nessie to fight her wolves, and after the initial hesitation (the wolves _did_ look similar to the La Push pack), she had been quick to defeat them, both with her bare hands and her javelin-knife combo. _Then_ Lupa had been impressed, and after giving them some advice relating to her Romans, she sent them on their way. Before leaving, Percy had shown her the unbroken scroll that Hestia had left them, and Lupa explained that it was both a special letter of recommendation and a warning for the Legion, and that he should take care of it, as it would help them gain the trust of the Legion.

_Remember the way of the Roman,_ Lupa said as she and her wolves vanished into the mist, _Aut Vincere aut Mori. Conquer or Die._

Now, after a day of travel, they were nearly there. At the moment, they were about to drive into Berkeley after crossing the Richmond Bridge. Once they were in Berkeley, he would find a local parking garage, and they would continue on foot to the Roman camp. He didn't know exactly where the entrance to the camp was, but at the moment his internal GPS was telling him to keep heading south and east – his tracking senses had reawakened during the meeting with Lupa – and that was where he was headed.

Finally, the car crossed the bridge, and Percy turned off of the highway and into downtown Oakland. He looked around, driving around the blocks until he saw a garage nearby, and after paying for a month's rent (the feast of Fortune was in a week and a half, but he had no idea if they would stay longer than that), he parked the car.

He looked at the sleeping form of Nessie in the backseat. He started to wake her, but as he watched her eyes flew open, alarm and slight fear showing in her eyes.

"We're here," Percy said, startling her, "It's on foot from here on out." He took in her expression, and he gave her a sad knowing smile. "Bad dream?"

Nessie shook her head, and her thoughts echoed in his head, _I couldn't make any sense of it, just a bunch of random sounds and flashes._ She reached out with her hand, and as soon as she touched his cheek, he understood what she meant. Really, there was no heads or tails to the dream, but he thought he recognized some of the things.

When Nessie pulled her hand away, he frowned, "The only thing I could recognize was that image of twelve people on thrones. That was the Olympian Council, but I see anything distinct in that image. Anything else was just random in my opinion."

Nessie nodded, _How far are we from the Camp?_

"I'm not sure, but my tracking senses are off the chart. We're definitely close though, and if we're fast enough, we can avoid the midday sun."

With that, they got out of the car. Pulling a duffel bag from the trunk, he took out a couple of hooded leather jackets and two sets of gloves (leather as well – Alice was a fan). He handed Nessie her jacket and her gloves, and after putting on his own sets (his gauntlet went on top of the jacket), making sure that they were completely covered, and that they had their weapons, they ventured out into the city.

They stuck to the shade whenever they could, ducking into empty alleys for quick bursts of vampire speed to reach their destination quicker. They did cross into sunlight a few times, but with the jackets, gloves and hood, their cover was preserved, even if they drew strange looks from passerby – it was the summer, after all, and they were dressed quite warmly. Thalia would be proud.

As they walked, Percy's senses started to tingle with anticipation.

"I think we're almost there," he told Nessie in a whisper only she would hear, "Stay close, I've got a bad feeling…"

_That makes two of us,_ Nessie notified him telepathically.

Later on, they would ask themselves if the Fates hated them.

Just then, the wind changed directions, blowing from the west and bringing with it a smell that made the vampire and hybrid tense.

Vampire.

They shared a glance before ducking into a nearby dark alley located between two tall apartment buildings. Percy quickly moved to one of the walls, giving the wall his back and hooking his fingers together. Nessie immediately placed her foot in it and grabbed his shoulders, and when she nodded, she jumped, Percy boosting her and allowing her to make it to the top of the ten-story building in less than a second. Thanks to his newborn strength, Percy didn't need to be boosted and was able to mirror the vertical jump on his own. After joining Nessie, they took off, jumping from building to building with Percy in the lead.

_What is a vampire doing in Berkeley, of all places? _he asked himself as they ran, _We're far away enough from the south to avoid all those territorial wars Jasper told us about, and California is too sunny, even for a nomad… Damn, since when has he been tracking us!?_

Just then, they made it to the edge of the city. Again, his internal GPS tingled, and he looked in the direction of the highway leading out of Berkeley and into the golden hills of California. To their right, the flatlands of Oakland and Berkeley marched west – a vast checkerboard of neighborhoods, with several million people who probably did not want their morning interrupted by three vampires.

Farther west, San Francisco Bay glittered under a silvery haze – past that, a wall of fog had swallowed most of 'Frisco, leaving just the tops of skyscrapers and the towers of the Golden Gate Bridge.

Ah, San Francisco. _Annabeth's father lives there,_ Percy remembered, _Maybe there's the possibility of… Wait, was that vampire skin glittering?_

"There!"

Percy zeroed in to where Nessie pointed. With his enhanced sight, he could see that the highway, which cut right through the base of the cliff, had two tunnel entrances, one for each direction of traffic, and they stared out to them like eye sockets of a giant skull. In the middle, where the nose would have been, a cement wall jutted from the hillside, with a metal door like the entrance to a bunker.

Sure, it might've been a maintenance tunnel, but did mortals actually see it through the mist? Hades, chances were they never even knew it was there in the first place, much less the two kids in armor flanking the entrance. They wore a bizarre mix of plumed Roman helmets, breastplates, scabbards, blue jeans, purple T-shirts, and white athletic shoes. The guard on the right was a female, even though it was slightly hard to tell for sure with all the armor. The one left was a stocky guy with a bow and quiver on his back, but both of them held long wooden staffs with iron spear tips – _pila._

After so many months, he had reached his goal, though now he shared it with his 'little sister'. He could finally take the next step in his journey, to finding Annabeth. Here, he would (hopefully) be safe.

So why did he feel such dread?

_You're a Greek, and they're Romans. What other reason do you need? Oh yeah, you're a vampire, and you're literally handing yourself over to them on a platter._

"It's a few miles away, but we can make it. Come on!"

They took a step forward, but a cloaked man with a hood hiding his face stepped out about a hundred meters in front of them, blocking their passage to the Camp entrance. The reason why they never realized he was there made itself apparent quite quickly – the wind was carrying his scent away from the west to the east. He turned towards them, revealing a face with an olive complexion with a chalky pallor, black hair that reached his shoulders, and the customary burgundy eyes of vampires that drank human blood.

Nessie gasped, _"Demetri?"_ Percy started – she must've extremely worried to speak in both of her voices. Not that he blamed her; he knew exactly who Demetri was, and the danger he posed.

The Volturi tracker smiled, "Renesmee Cullen… and a friend! What a pleasant surprise!" He spoke with a strange accent, like a combination of Italian and Arabic.

"Cut the crap, Demetri, I know how your gift works – you make no mistakes. What do you want?"

At this, Demetri's smile vanished, and as Percy drew Riptide from his pocket he heard a quiet footstep behind them, and another above the apartment building next to them. They were surrounded.

Nessie spared the Volturi members a glance, quickly returning her gaze to Demetri. _The one behind us is Felix,_ she told him and him alone,_ I don't know the one above us, but I recognize him from my 'trial'. We're lucky they didn't send Alec or Jane._ At this, Percy mentally frowned, keeping his expression blank – Felix was one of the stronger vampires physically, but he didn't have any superpowers.

"Aro wants to speak to you." Percy absentmindedly noticed Demetri continue speaking, "He would like to extend another invitation to you and your… family."

"I already gave my answer six years ago; it hasn't changed, and it never will."

"A pity. We could have ignored the current transgression, but I'm afraid that due to the circumstances…"

At this, Percy spoke, "Transgression?"

Demetri glanced at him, "Indeed. Revealing our nature to others is a crime punishable by death, and you have also been consorting with the children of the Moon, another death sentence in itself."

_Lupa… Oh no!_ Percy snarled, "They're not werewolves, and besides, they already knew what we were."

Demetri waved a hand, "It does not matter to me. No, it is the two

The tracker hadn't even finished speaking when the two vampires in question charged. They were moving faster than the human eye could track them, but Percy was a vampire – he could track the three vampires at once out of the corners of his eyes, while at the same time uncapping his sword and shield, and keeping an eye on Nessie, who had drawn her spear from midair (it was magical for a reason) and was preparing herself to meet Santiago's charge.

At the moment, Percy never realized it, but what he was seeing marked the beginning of a new era.

Santiago never made it to the bottom of the building. Nessie had jumped upwards, meeting him in the middle, and his surprise at her attack Nessie's _pilum_ impaled him in the chest. A second later, Nessie had used her dagger to behead the male vampire, and the two body pieces fell to the ground in a heap, Santiago's expression forever frozen in deadly surprise – Nessie for her part landed elegantly, flourishing her spear and twirling her dagger with a smile.

Meanwhile, Percy had met Felix's charge head-on with his massive shield, making a _crack_ that sounded like thunder. Like Santiago, Felix was caught by surprise by either Percy's attack or his weapons, but unlike the now-dead vampire he recovered quickly, pushing Coral away before jumping backwards with a snarl. Percy followed with a swipe from Riptide, and this time, Felix was not so lucky – with a screech like metal ripping and a howl of pain, Felix lost his left hand, leaving behind a smooth stump of grey stone-like flesh. Felix grabbed at it, and with a glare that said _'This isn't over'_, Felix turned tail and ran, leaving his hand behind.

Like one, he and Nessie turned to face Demetri, but the tracker was running towards the camp entrance, where the two guards (who had definitely seen them) were lowering their spears to attack Demetri.

_Not on my watch!_ Percy thought as he sprinted after Demetri, Nessie copying him. Demetri was fast, sure, but Percy was still newborn vampire – his extra strength and speed would only start to abate about a year after being turned. Even so, when he was a few meters away from the tracker, Demetri had reached the entrance and the two demigod guards, and proceeded to deliver a kick to the male guard's chest, sending him flying into the tunnel.

"Frank!" the other guard cried, and when Demetri turned to her, she didn't hesitate in jabbing with her spear at his chest. Unfortunately the vampire swatted the weapon away as if it was a fly, knocking it completely from the girl's grasp. She jumped backwards, her hand reaching towards the sword sheathed on her waist, but again, the vampire was too quick for her, somersaulting over her and grabbing her head in a headlock (duh) before she could even blink.

Percy froze with wide eyes, literally skidding in his effort to stop. Nessie did the same, her expression mirroring his and her spear poised to throw as they looked at the tracker and his hostage.

"Now…" Demetri licked his lips in nervousness, "You know what this means, correct? You move, I snap her neck like the toothpick it is." The girl in his arms stiffened for a moment before her struggles against the vampire doubled.

"Let go of me!" she cried.

"Quiet, girl," Demetri snarled.

"Demetri," Percy warned, his voice like steel, "let her go, and we _might_ just let you live."

Demetri pretended to think, "Umm… no. In fact, I might just keep this one. She smells…" He smelled the girl's neck, "Delicious." At this, the girl's expression morphed to one of confusion and fear. There was movement in the tunnel behind Demetri, but the vampire didn't even spare a glance. "The same goes for you, boy, though I'm quite surprised that you're up so-"

_Twang!_

Frank's aim was good. Unfortunately, Demetri was able to hear the arrow headed towards his head and dodged it, but the movement also exposed his right shoulder, an opportunity that was not wasted. Nessie's spear had already been posed to throw, but now it left her hand, flying at Demetri with deadly aim and speed.

It was as if time had slowed down. The tracker could only stare at the bronze spear headed towards him, and though he raised an arm to block it, it struck his shoulder with a _screech_. Demetri blinked and stumbled backwards, and his grip slackened on the girl. She noticed, and decided to thank him by drawing a knife from her belt and stabbing him where the sun don't shine.

_Now_ Demetri howled with pain, and Percy (he didn't feel sorry at all) lunged forwards, and simultaneously pulled the girl away grabbing the spear and breaking it, leaving the tip embedded in Demetri's shoulder. Demetri swiped with his fist, and even though Percy was able to block it with his shield, the blow was strong enough to knock him and the girl to the ground.

Renesmee jumped over the two of them, dagger in hand, and started to attack the tracker. The vampire was obviously in pain, but he wasn't without talent, dodging Nessie's swipes with grace and precision. In one of her swipes, Nessie overstretched her arm, and Demetri used the moment to kick her chest.

Nessie went flying into one of the highway's support pillars, and fell to the ground, unconscious.

Percy saw red, and with a vicious snarl he got up and charged wildly at Demetri, sword and shield forgotten in his rage. With a roar like a wave, he slammed his fist with a _crack_ into the tracker's face, sending him flying into one of the pillars as well. Demetri freed himself, and was able to block Percy's blows, eventually kicking him away as well.

Percy then fell to the ground, and when Demetri pounced, he raised an arm to block. The movement only served to provide the tracker with what he wanted, as he immediately bit right into it. Percy screamed with pain as he heard Demetri say, "A reminder of our little encounter. Next time, you won't so lucky."

By the time Percy got up again, Demetri was gone.

"Dammit!" Percy cursed, about to chase Demetri, but then he remembered his little sister. He sprinted over to her in a moment, where the roman guards were tending to her, and kneeled next to her.

"How is she?" he asked, surprising/scaring the two romans.

"She has a few bruised ribs," said the girl when she recovered from her fright, "She needs treatment, and fast!"

If Percy's face could do so, it would have paled dramatically. After shrinking his shield and sword, he tenderly picked Nessie up in his arms.

"Lead the way," he told the guards, who shared a glance.

"You can take her on your own?" asked the boy – Frank, Percy recalled. He nodded, and apparently satisfied, Frank motioned for him to follow. The four then proceeded to run into the tunnel, unaware of the watchful gaze of a certain woman dressed in a blue dress with a cloak that looked like goat's skin, holding a staff topped with a lotus flower. After a moment, the woman nodded, and then she shimmered out of existence, leaving no trace of ever being there.  
…

Percy couldn't believe it – they had made it to the Roman demigod safe haven. During the tunnel run, Nessie had woken up. As it turned out, the girl that had been taken hostage by Demetri wasn't that good at taking medical diagnostics, but Nessie _did _say that her chest hurt. Percy chalked it up as her vampiric nature healing her ribs really quick.

The girl stopped them before they exited the tunnel, "Hey, uh… I know that you're not human – at least, not fully – but I just wanted to say… thank you. For saving me from that guy."

Percy gave a small smile in response, "It was no problem. It's the first time I meet the guy, but Nessie here knows him – he's an old family… friend."

Frank and the girl chuckled before she held out her hand, "I'm Hazel Levesque, and this is Frank Zhang."

Percy grasped her hand, careful not to crush it and ignoring Hazel's shiver when she felt his temperature, "Perseus Jackson, but call me Percy. This little squirt here is Renesmee Cullen."

Renesmee glared at him before grinning mischievously at the others, "But since Renesmee is a bit of a mouthful…" _you can call me Nessie_, she finished telepathically.

Hazel and Frank stumbled backwards in surprise. "How… how did you do that?" asked Frank with a slight quiver in his voice.

Nessie's grin widened, "I'm a talented Legacy, as well as a champion of Vesta, but it's nothing compared to what Percy can do."

Percy rolled his eyes, before explaining to the awestruck demigods, "I'm a Son of Neptune, but my powers are almost on-par with an immortal's level of power. I can summon seawater out of thin air, create personal hurricanes on a whim… anything related to the sea and my father's domain is in my territory."

Frank and Hazel shared a worried glance. "That's… cool," said Hazel, though the expression seemed to roll off of her tongue as if she wasn't used to saying it.

Percy grinned mischievously, mimicking Nessie's earlier expression, "Don't worry… I don't bite." Nessie laughed at the inside joke, and that seemed to break the tension the two demigods had.

Hazel shook her head apologetically, "It's not that, it's just… I'll explain later." She motioned to Frank, who was looking at them with a critical eye, and they walked out of the tunnel. With no other choice, Percy and Nessie followed.

All precious thoughts flew right out of his head pretty quick when he saw the valley.

Coming out of the tunnel had revealed a bowl-shaped valley that was several miles wide, rumpled with smaller hills, golden plains, and stretches of forest (which was good, they would need to hunt soon). A small clear river cut a winding course from a lake in the center and around the perimeter, like a capital G. The geography could've been anywhere in northern California – live oaks and eucalyptus trees, gold hills and blue skies. That bid inland mountain – what was it called, Mount Diablo? – rose in the distance, right where it should be.

But Percy felt like he'd stepped into a secret world. In the center of the valley, nestled by the lake, was a small city of white marble buildings with red-tiled roofs. Some had domes and columned porticoes, like national monuments; others looked like palaces, with golden doors and large gardens. From where he was standing, Percy could see an open plaza with freestanding columns, fountains, and statues. A five-story-tall Roman coliseum gleamed in the sun, next to a long oval arena like a racetrack.

Across the lake to south, and it was dotted with even more impressive buildings – Percy guessed they were temples. Several stone bridges crossed the river as it wound through the valley, and in the north, a classic Roman aqueduct stretched from the hills into the city.

Finally, about two hundred yards away from the valley entrance, just across the river, was a military encampment. It was about a quarter mile square, with earthen ramparts on all four sides, the tops lined with sharpened spikes. Outside the walls ran a dry moat, also studded with spikes. Wooden watchtowers rose at each corner, manned by sentries with oversized mounted crossbows, and purple banners with golden logos hung from the towers. A wide gateway opened on the far side of the camp, leading towards the city; a narrower gate stood closed on the riverbank side. Inside, the fortress bustled with activity: dozens of kids going to and from barracks, carrying weapons, polishing armor, etc. Even from his view point, Percy could hear the clank of hammers at a forge, smell meat cooking over a fire (he didn't particularly like that one), and see both demigods and shimmering purple ghost warriors polishing both real and ethereal swords.

All in all, Percy was impressed.

"Wow…" Nessie said.

"Camp Jupiter," Frank said with a fond smile, "It's the one place where demigods and legacies like us can train and live peacefully."

_Here… and Camp Half-Blood,_ thought Percy, _both so similar, and yet… it's not quite right._

"Come on," Hazel said, "Reyna will want to see you." Until then, Percy hadn't noticed that the two demigods had removed their helmets. Hazel had shoulder-length curly golden-brown hair, warm fourteen-karat gold eyes, and had dark skin while Frank had brown eyes and a babyish face that looked out of place with his large and stocky frame and his military haircut. Basically, they looked (and smelled) like trustworthy people.

Hazel led the way down the hill towards the encampment, Percy and Nessie following after making sure that their skin was still covered from the sun. When they reached the riverbank, Frank and Hazel waded in, but Percy hesitated. The stream's current was fast, but the river didn't look deep, and the gates of the fort stood only a stone's throw away. Usually he loved the water, but this river seemed… powerful, and not necessarily friendly.

"Percy?" Nessie asked, noticing his hesitation, and the demigods stopped as well.

"Don't worry," said Frank, "The Little Tiber might flow with the power of the original Tiber, which was the river of the empire, but it won't harm you. At the end of the day, it's just that – a river."

Percy nodded. _It's just a river,_ he thought, _but I'm not taking any chances._ He stepped forward, placing his foot _on top _of the water – it didn't take much effort to harden the water with his mind. Ignoring the demigods' wide eyes and Nessie's muttered 'show off', he crossed the river without a single drop of water splashing onto him. Not to be outdone, Nessie jumped right across the stream with a flip, landing right next to him just as Frank and Hazel climbed out of the water.

"Show off," Percy smirked, and dodged Nessie's elbow with a chuckle. At human speed, of course – they hoped to keep a low profile for as long as possible. Of course, with Nessie's jump that option was shot down.

They approached the fort, and when they were a few yards away, a sentry in one of the towers called, "Halt! Who goes there?"

Hazel yelled, "Hazel Levesque and Frank Zhang, plus two new recruits. They need to go to Reyna straight away."

The sentry looked behind him, as if he was talking to someone, before facing Hazel once more, "You're in luck then, she's right here. Open the gates!" The last three words were repeated twice by other sentries before the gates finally opened, and a group of demigods in armor walked out.

"Hazel!" one of the girls barked, "Why did you abandon your post?"

"It was compromised, Reyna. We were attacked by something I've never seen before. It was following them, but it's gone now. "

Reyna frowned, before nodding at Percy and Nessie, "And them?"

Frank opened his mouth to speak, but Nessie stepped forward, surprising Percy, "Renesmee Cullen, Legacy of Silvia and Concordia, First Champion of Vesta, and Percy Jackson, son of Neptune. We bear a message from Vesta herself."

Reyna made a chocking sound. "Percy… Jackson?" She sounded as if she recognized his name, so Percy focused on her. She was obviously a leader. She wore a regal purple cloak over her armor, and her chest was decorated with medals. She must have been about Percy's age, with dark, piercing eyes and long black hair, and when the wind blew, he caught a strange scent – steel, blood, adrenaline… the smells of battle. She looked slightly familiar, but he didn't recognize her, even though she started at him as if she'd seen him in her nightmares.

Percy frowned, "Do I know you?"

She hesitated, "I am Reyna, praetor of the Twelfth Legion. And… no, I don't know you."

That last part was a lie – he could tell from her eyes. But he also understood that if he argued with her about it here, in front of her soldiers, she wouldn't appreciate it.

"Hazel," said Reyna, "bring them inside. I want to question them at the _principia_; then we'll send them to Octavian. We must consult the auguries before we decide what to do with them."

"_Excusez-moi?_" asked Renesmee with an edge, "What exactly do you mean, 'decide what to do with' us?"

Reyna's hand tightened on her dagger; obviously she was not used to having her orders questioned. "Before we accept anyone into camp, we must interrogate them and read the auguries. You say you bear a message from Vesta. We have to know the goddess has sent us new recruits…"

Reyna studied Percy as if she found that doubtful.

"Or," she said more hopefully, "if she's sent us enemies to kill."


	7. Of Greeks and Freaks

**WHOO-HOO! 100 FOLLOWERS! Congratulations to ALie63867 for being the 100****th**** follower! No prize though, sorry :(**

Heroes of Olympus Book 2: Rites of Blood

Chapter 7 – Of Greeks and Freaks

_June 11__th__, 2010 – Eleven days to the Feast of Fortuna – Location: Camp Jupiter_

As it turned out, Percy shared a common trait with the camp members - half of the people in the camp were dead.

Shimmering purple warriors stood outside the armory, polishing ethereal swords, just like he had seen them do when he saw the camp for the first time. Others hung out in front of the barracks. A ghostly boy chased a ghostly dog down the street, and at the stables, a big glowing red dude with the head of a wolf guarded a herd of… Were those unicorns?

None of the campers paid much attention to the ghosts, but as Percy and Nessie's entourage walked by, with Reyna in the lead and Frank and Hazel on either side, all the spirits stopped what they were doing and stared at him and Nessie – a few of them even looked angry. Casper the little boy ghost shrieked something like "Graeci!" and turned invisible.

"Am I seeing things?" asked Nessie, "Or are those-"

"Ghosts?" Hazel turned. Her eyes had an uncanny resemblance to those of a vegetarian vampire. "They're Lares. House gods."

_So… like smaller than real gods, but larger than apartment gods?_ Nessie joked with Percy privately. He just managed to hold in a smirk.

"They're ancestral spirits," Frank explained, "The Lares are kind of mascots. Mostly they're harmless, but I've never seen them so agitated."

"They're staring at us," Nessie said, "That ghost kid called us _Graeci._ I'm guessing it's Latin?"

Hazel nodded, "Once you've been here awhile, you'll start understanding it. Demigods have a natural sense for it. _Graeci_ means Greeks." _Whoops – busted..._

"It that bad?" Percy asked.

Frank cleared his throat. "Maybe not. You've sort-of got that type of complexion, with the dark hair, but your skin is a little too pale for it. Nessie I'm not so sure, though. Maybe they think you're actually Greek. Is your family from there?"

_You have no idea._ "Mine is, but Nessie's a _Gringa_, as Mexicans say."

_I'll get you back for that. I haven't forgotten about you calling me a squirt earlier._

Frank chuckled and Reyna gave a small smile, but Hazel frowned. "What does that mean?"

Percy shrugged, "It's just a derogatory word used in Spanish speaking countries. Basically, it means English-speaker, in an insulting sort of way."

Frank nodded, but then he frowned, "There could be another reason for the Lares calling you Greeks, but it's probably nothing. Romans and Greeks have an old rivalry. Sometimes Romans use _Graecus_ as an insult for someone who's an outsider – an enemy. I wouldn't worry about it."

He sounded pretty worried.

Just then, they stopped at the center of camp, where two wide stone-paved roads met at a **T**. A street sign labeled the road to the main gates as _Via Praetoria._ The other road, cutting across the middle of camp, was labeled _Via Principalis,_ and under those markers were hand-painted signs like BERKELEY 5 MILES; NEW ROME 1 MILE; OLD ROME 7280 MILES; HADES 2310 MILES (pointing straight down); RENO 208 MILES, and CERTAIN DEATH: YOU ARE HERE!

_Who knew Romans would have a sense of humor? _Percy thought sarcastically. A glance to Nessie revealed that she was thinking the same thing.

For certain death, the place looked pretty clean and orderly. The buildings were freshly whitewashed, laid out in neat grids like the camp had been designed by a fussy math teacher. The barracks had shady porches, where campers lounged in hammocks or played cards and drank sodas. Each dorm had a different collection of banners out front displaying Roman numerals and various animals – eagle, bear, wolf, horse, and something that looked like a hamster.

Along the Via Praetoria, rows of shops advertised food, armor, weapons, coffee, gladiator equipment, and toga rentals (the last one made both him and Nessie shudder in disgust). There was even a chariot dealership that had a big advertisement out front: CAESAR XLS W/ANTILOCK BRAKES, NO DENARII DOWN!

_I am so checking that out later,_ Percy thought, remembering the chariot racing at Camp Half-Blood, _At least, once I figure out what Denarii are._

However, at one corner of the crossroads stood the most impressive building – a two-story wedge of white marble with a columned portico like an old-fashioned bank, with Roman guards standing out front. Over the doorway hung a big purple banner with the gold letters SPQR embroidered inside a laurel wreath.

_SPQR,_ Nessie thought to him, _Senatus Poblusque Romanus – The Senate and the People of Rome._ Percy nodded approvingly, making the action as small as possible so that the humans wouldn't notice it.

"Your headquarters?" Percy asked.

Reyna faced him, her eyes still cold and hostile, "It's called the _principia._" She scanned the mob of curious campers who had followed them from the river. "Everyone back to your duties. I'll give you an update at evening muster. Remember, we have war games after dinner."

The thought of dinner made Percy wrinkle his nose. As a vampire, human foods were no longer digestible by his system – not that human foods smelled appealing in the first place. How in the Hades did he eat that disgusting crap when he was human?

The crowd dispersed reluctantly. Some muttered comments about Percy and Nessie's chances.

"They're dead," said one.

"Would be _those _two who found them," said another.

"Yeah," muttered a third, "Let them join the Fifth Cohort. Greeks and Freaks." Several kids laughed at that, but Reyna scowled at them, and they cleared off.

"Hazel," Reyna said, "Come with us. I want your report on what happened at the gates."

"Me too?" Frank said, "They saved our lives. We've got to let them-" Reyna gave Frank such a harsh look, he stepped back.

"I'd remind you, Frank Zhang," she said, "you are on _probatio_ yourself. You've caused enough trouble this week."

Frank's ears turned red. He fiddled with a little tablet on a cord around his neck. Percy hadn't paid much attention to it, but it looked like the dog tags the military used (for humans, mind you – dog tag was just a term).

Nessie stepped forward, "If I may, Praetor Reyna, I ask that he join us for this conversation. We owe an explanation to him anyways."

Reyna's eyes flashed, "You forget your place, _Cullen,_ so I suggest you-"

Nessie's spear materialized in her hand, and before Reyna could even blink she placed the tip of the weapon at Reyna's neck.

Nessie snarled, "It is not I that forgets her place, Praetor Reyna. Let me remind you that as Lady Vesta's champion, I am entitled to the _legal _powers of the order of Vestal Virgins. You speak to the first head of the order since Coelia Concordia herself, _my ancestor_, so you will speak and listen to me _with the proper amount of respect._" Nessie's spear vanished, and she leaned in to a now-pale Reyna, lowering her voice, "Am I understood?"

Percy and the others watched with wide eyes as the scene unfolded itself. _Note to self,_ Percy thought, _do _not _piss off Renesmee Cullen in the near future._

Reyna matched Nessie's gaze, and even though she was still pale, the look in her eyes had changed – she no longer looked at Nessie with disdain, but rather with grudging respect.

"Of course, _Vestae Champion._ My apologies, I did not mean to offend." Reyna inclined her head in a slight bow, and Nessie drew back, satisfied.

"Apology accepted, Praetor." Nessie smiled in reassurance and extended her hand, and after a moment's hesitation, Reyna grasped it with a smile – if she noticed Nessie's searing temperature, she didn't comment on it. When Reyna let go, Nessie tilted her head, "You know Reyna, this could be the beginning of a long and beautiful friendship." Not waiting to see their reactions, she stepped passed them and into the _principia_ without a backwards glance.

When the three demigods looked at him, Percy just raised his hands in defense, "Hey, don't look at me, this is the first time I see her like this. Frankly, I hope it's the last time." With that, he ran into the _principia_ as well – at vampire speed, of course.

They had a lot of explaining to do.  
….

The _principia_ was even more impressive on the inside. On the ceiling glittered a mosaic of Romulus and Remus under their adopted mama she-wolf (Lupa had told both Percy and Nessie that story a million times). The floor was polished marble, and the walls were draped in velvet, so Percy felt like he was inside the world's most expensive camping tent. Along the back wall stood a display of banners and wooden poles studded with bronze medals – military symbols, Percy guessed. In the center was one empty display stand, as if the main banner had been taken down for cleaning or something. Looking at the stand gave him chills, so he directed his gaze elsewhere.

In the back corner, a stairwell led down, but was blocked by a row of iron bars like a prison door. Percy wondered what was down there – Treasure? Actual dungeons? Greek demigod vampires pretending to be Romans who had gotten on Reyna's bad side?

In the center of the room, a long wooden table was cluttered with scrolls, notebooks, tablet computers, daggers, and a large bowl with jelly beans, which seemed both out of place and smelled repulsive. Two life-sized statues of greyhound – one silver, one gold – flanked the table. Reyna walked behind the table and sat in one of two high-backed chairs. Percy remained standing (being a vampire meant that he was more comfortable doing so), as did Hazel and Frank, but Nessie looked like she wanted to sit in the other chair. Thank the gods she didn't.

"So…" she started to say.

The dog statues bared their teeth and growled.

Percy and Nessie froze. Normally he liked dogs, but after his turning his tolerance of them had diminished – Jacob and his pack hadn't helped with that. Besides, these glared at him and Nessie with ruby eyes, and their fangs looked as sharp as razors – he didn't want to find out if they worked on vampire skin.

"Easy, guys," Reyna told the grey hounds. They stopped growling, but they kept eyeing Percy and Nessie as if they were imagining the two of them in a doggie bag.

"They won't attack," Reyna said, "unless you try to steal something, or unless I tell them to. That's Argentum and Aurum."

"Silver and Gold," Percy said. The Latin meanings popped in his had like Hazel said they would, but not for the reason she meant – Carlisle was just a really good teacher.

_I wonder which dog is which,_ Nessie thought to him, _should I ask?_

Percy spoke in such a low whisper so the demigods wouldn't hear him, "You wouldn't dare."

_Try me._

Their unnoticed conversation was interrupted when Reyna set her dagger on the table. Percy had the vague feeling he'd seen her before, or someone like her. Her hair was black and glossy as volcanic rock, woven in a single braid down her back. She had the poise of a sword fighter – relaxed yet vigilant, as if ready to spring into action at any moment. The worry lines around her eyes made her look older than she probably was.

"We _have _met," Percy decided, "though I don't remember exactly when."

"First things first," Reyna said, "I want to hear your story. Who _are_ you really? How did you get here? And don't lie. My dogs don't like liars." Argentum and Aurum snarled to emphasize the point.

He glanced at Nessie. He'd been holding his breath for almost ten minutes to avoid inflaming his thirst, and in an enclosed space like this, it would be much worse. _Go ahead,_ Nessie thought to him as she shifted her position, _I'll try and stop you if you react badly._ He nodded, and moving backwards a few inches – something noticed by the demigods – he took in a tiny breath.

It was like shoving a red-hot branding iron down his throat.

His hand twitched, but he restrained himself from grabbing his throat – the cool temperature helped sooth his thirst, but only just. Still, he was entranced by the strange smells given by the demigods. Frank for some reason smelled similar to Reyna combined with… wet dog? Cat? Mountain Lion? Deer? It was a strange combination of multiple animal smells. Hazel for her part smelled like the earth you find in deep underground mines, enriched by minerals and precious stones.

However, underneath it all, there was a similarity in all three scents – something that screamed nobility and power, and was both extremely repulsive and extremely mouthwatering to him. Come to think of it, it was a smell that Renesmee also had, more so recently. He realized that that it was the smell of ichor – the blood of immortals.

His mouth slickened with venom, but after a second that felt like eternity, his mind won over his thirst. Emboldened by that fact, he took in a deeper breath, and eventually managed to relax and control his thirst.

Ignoring the strange and wary looks that the demigods gave him, he started his story – how he'd woken up at the ruined mansion in the woods of Sonoma with no memory. He described his time with Lupa and her pack, learning their language of gestures and expression, learning to survive and fight.

Lupa had taught him about demigods, monsters, and gods. She'd explained that she was one of the guardian spirits of Ancient Rome. Demigods like Percy were still responsible for carrying on Roman traditions in modern times – fighting monsters, serving the gods, protecting mortals, and upholding the memory of the empire. She'd spent weeks training him, until he was as strong and tough and vicious as a wolf – traits that were emboldened by his turning. Then, when she was satisfied with his skills, she'd sent him south, telling him that if he survived the journey, he might find a new home and regain his memory.

None of it seemed to surprise Reyna. In fact, she seemed to find it pretty ordinary – except for one thing.

"No memory at all?" she asked. "You _still_ remember nothing?"

"Up to four months ago, everything is crystal clear. Anything before that…" Percy frowned for a moment, trying to think of a way to explain himself, "Picture yourself inside a box. Imagine that you can see and hear everything that's going on around you, but at the same time it's both blurry and muffled. It's like being underwater. It's really surprising, given my… condition."

Reyna raised an eyebrow at the last word, but didn't comment, choosing to spin her dagger instead. "Most of what you're describing is normal for demigods. At a certain age, one way or another, we find our way to the Wolf House. We're tested and trained, and if Lupa thinks we're worthy, she sends us south to join the Legion. But I've never heard of someone losing his memory. How did you find Camp Jupiter?"

And there it was.

Nessie decided to speak then, "Praetor Reyna, Frank, Hazel… what you are about to here cannot leave this room. It is a secret that has been closely guarded for many centuries – we have only one law, and to break it is a crime punishable by death. The only reason we're choosing to break this law is because it is necessary… and because the enforcers of that law do not know the true meaning of justice and fairness."

Nessie leaned forward, her expression grave, "What we need is your most binding oath that you will never reveal this secret to anyone, even under pain of death, unless we give you the specific permission to do so."

"And if we say no?" asked Hazel defiantly.

"Then, we walk back out that tunnel and Olympus burns to the ground," Nessie spread out her palms, "It's your choice."

It took a few moments, but eventually all three humans swore oaths under the River Styx. Thunder rumbled on the outside, signifying the taking of the oaths. Percy leaned back into his seat, suddenly feeling like he had the weight of the world on his shoulders – and he knew how that felt.

Percy started his tale once more. He told Reyna about the month after leaving the Wolf House – the gorgons who wouldn't die, his travels north, and finally his death in the ambush near Seattle.

"Whoa, hold on a sec," Frank held up a hand for emphasis, "Let me get this straight – you _died?"_

"If you want to get technical, I'm _still_ dead," he said.

"What do you mean?" asked Reyna. Hazel had a contemplative expression on her face as Percy extended his arm on the desk wrist-up to Reyna. She hesitated for a moment before putting her fingers his wrist. A few seconds later she frowned, got, walked around the desk, and put her other hand on the inside of his elbow. When she finally reached his neck, her jaw dropped.

"You have no pulse… and you're so cold… like you should be in a morgue…" Reyna backed away, an action mirrored by Frank and Hazel while Aurum and Argentum got up and snarled. Reyna gulped, gripping her dagger, before asking the fateful question, "What are you?"

Percy inclined his head sideways, "What sleeps during the day, goes out at night, and drinks animal blood?"

_Now_ the three demigods drew their weapons (except for Reyna, of course – she had hers drawn already), and Aurum and Argentum stood up with a snarl, preparing to pounce. Percy was about to draw his sword and shield, but a flash of flames between him and the demigods made them freeze. When the floating flames died down, he was surprised – all there was a single golden-red feather.

Frank's jaw dropped when he saw the feather, "That… that's a Fenghuang feather!"

Everyone turned to look at him in confusion, and he blushed at the sudden amount of attention. "It's Chinese mythology," he explained, "Fenghuang is the Chinese word for Phoenix."

"It must be a sign from He- Vesta," said Nessie. Percy winced at the slip-up, but the demigods didn't seem to notice. "The phoenix is a flame related creature, and what represents flames better than the hearth?"

"Oh gods, another Octavian…" Reyna had muttered the words, but it didn't matter – to Nessie and Percy, she could've shouted the words with the same result. Besides, until they met this Octavian, Percy would keep his opinion to himself.

Nessie continued, "Look, think about it. If we wanted to harm or kill you, we would've done it already. Hazel and Frank have seen our speed, our strength – face it, even if you tried, _you wouldn't be able to fight us off._"

"What would you have us do?" asked Hazel with defiance, "Roll over and die as vampire chow?"

Percy snarled, "Listening would be a good start."

"To what?" asked Frank – poor guy was pale as a sheet of paper, but he held his Gladius bravely.

"How about the fact that we specified that we drink _animal _blood, and not _human _blood!" yelled Nessie.

That brought the demigods up short. Frank and Hazel shared a glance, but Reyna narrowed her eyes. "How do we know that you're lying?"

Percy sighed, rubbing his temples. He didn't get headaches anymore, thank the gods, but it was like having a phantom limb, or rather, a phantom headache. "What do we gain by lying? If we wanted your blood, we could've taken it by force anytime we wanted to, and no one would know."

He let his hands down with another sigh. "Look, I owe Nessie's mother my life. I was dead, but I died because a club hit me on a cursed wound. Even if I _did_ come back, it was going to be as a cripple. Vampire venom can heal any injury, but to do that it also changes everything it has contact with."

"Hence the change," said Reyna.

"Exactly." Percy paused, "We're not sure, but a member of my coven believes that our dependence on blood is because our venom is continuously burning in our systems, and that is what gives us the energy to… well, to live. Of course, it goes without saying that if we don't feed continuously we'll slowly start losing control of our thirst. Like the human body becomes addicted to drugs, the vampire body is addicted to blood. But here's the catch – _it doesn't care where the blood comes from._

"We have a philosophy, you see. We look like humans, we act like humans, we think like humans… if you look at the big picture, we _are _human in a sense. Most of us never wanted to have the change in the first place, and we sure as Hades don't like killing humans. It was our coven's founder who thought of a solution – don't kill humans, and look for other sources of sustenance."

"Well, that sounds simple," said Frank.

"But it isn't," said Nessie, "Feeding on animal blood… It's like a human surviving on tofu and soy food. It doesn't taste good, but you'll live."

"What about blood banks?" asked Hazel.

Percy shrugged, "You can't miss what you've never had."

Reyna's eyes widened, "So you're saying…"

Percy nodded, "I have never tasted human blood in the months since I was turned. Nessie has, but those were… special circumstances." At their expressions, he elaborated, "Blood bank."

There were a few moments of silence after that. Reyna sighed and sheathed her dagger, moving back around her desk and sitting in her chair. She motioned to her dogs, and they relaxed, albeit reluctantly. Frank and Hazel did the same, sheathing their weapons, and Percy and Nessie let out a breath of relief.

"Alright," said Reyna after a moment, "I've decided to give you the benefit of a doubt. But if you give me one reason to do it, I swear I will find a way to kill the two of you. I won't have you endangering this camp or the city. Are we clear on this?" They nodded their assent, and she relaxed slightly, "Good. Proceed with the story."

So he did, but he was cautious not to reveal any specific details. He told her about his turning, the little that had occurred in the four months with the Cullens, Vesta and Neptune's visit (He decided to stick to the Roman names for as long as possible), and finally the events leading to their quest and meeting Frank and Hazel at the tunnel in the hill.

Hazel took the story from there. She described Percy and Renesmee as brave and heroic, which made him feel uncomfortable. All he'd done was cut off a hand and nearly get killed. Nessie for her part took the praise in stride.

Reyna studied him. "Vampire or not, you're old for a recruit. You're what, sixteen?" He nodded, and she continued, "If you spent that many years on your own, without training or help, you should be dead. A son of Neptune? You'd have a powerful aura that would attract all kinds of monsters."

"Yeah," Percy said, "I've been told that I smell."

Nessie giggled while Reyna almost cracked a smile, which gave Percy hope. Maybe she was human after all.

"You must've been somewhere before the Wolf House," she said.

Percy shrugged, pretending ignorance. He knew exactly where he came from, but he wasn't going to tell; at least, not yet. Let them make their own assumptions.

Reyna sighed, "Well, the dogs haven't eaten you, so I suppose you're telling the truth."

_Great,_ Nessie thought to him, _Next time, can we take a polygraph? _He smiled slightly in response.

Reyna stood and started to pace in front of the banners. Her metal dogs watched her go back and forth.

"Even if I accept that the two of you aren't enemies," she said, "you're not typical recruits. The goddess of the hearth doesn't appear to demigods, issuing a quest personally. The last time a major god visited someone in person like that…" She shook her head. "I've only heard legends about such things. And a son of Neptune… that's not a good omen. Especially now."

"What's wrong with Neptune?" Percy asked, "And what do you mean, 'especially now'?"

Frank and Hazel shot him warning looks.

Reyna kept pacing. "You've fought Medusa's sisters, who haven't been seen in thousands of years. The both of you have agitates our Lares, you are calling you _Graeci_. And you wear those strange symbols – the beads on your necklace. What do they mean?"

Percy looked down. His orange CAMP HALF-BLOOD t-shirt had been tattered and worn to shreds by the time he made it to the Cullens', but at the time he couldn't bear to get rid of it. He just kept washing it in streams and water fountains as best as he could and putting it back on. That had all ended the day he was turned, since Alice had changed his clothes – he was still mortified over that – and she had thrown the shirt away.

As for the necklace, the four clay beads were each decorated with a different symbol. One showed a trident. Another displayed a miniature Golden Fleece. The third was etched with the design of a maze, and the last had an image of the Empire State Building with the names of dead fighters engraved around it.

"They have to do with events in my past," he told Reyna, "but I'm not sure of the specifics." It was true. His human memories were extremely cloudy, and though he knew almost everything, it still wasn't clear.

"And your sword and weapons?" Reyna asked, directing her question to Nessie as well.

Percy checked his pocket, and his pen was still there. He pulled it out, but then realized he'd never shown Reyna the sword. Hazel and Frank had seen it, but hadn't mentioned it. How had Reyna known about it?

Too late to pretend it didn't exist… After sharing a nod with Nessie, he uncapped the pen, and Riptide sprang to full form. He spoke the command word as well, and Coral expanded on his forearm while Nessie summoned her spear and knife. Hazel gasped, while Frank sucked in a small breath. The greyhounds barked apprehensively.

"What is that?" Hazel asked, "I've never seen a sword like that."

"I have," Reyna said darkly, "It's very old – a Greek design. We used to have a few in the armory before…" She stopped herself. "The metal is called Celestial Bronze. It's deadly to monsters, like Imperial Gold, but even rarer."

"Imperial Gold?" asked Nessie, beating Percy to the punch.

Reyna unsheathed her dagger. Sure enough, the blade was gold, something he hadn't noticed before. "The metal was consecrated in ancient times, at the Pantheon in Rome. Its existence was a closely guarded secret of the emperors – a way for their champions to slay monsters that threatened the empire. We used to have more weapons like this, but now… well, we scrape by. I use this dagger. Hazel has a _spatha_, a cavalry sword, and Frank has bow, but most legionnaires use a shorter sword called a _Gladius._ But those weapons of yours is not Roman at all. It's another sign that you're not typical demigods. And your arms…"

"What about them?" Percy asked.

Reyna held up her own forearm. Percy hadn't noticed before, but she had a tattoo on the inside: the letters SPQR, a crossed sword and torch, and under that, four parallel lines like score marks.

Nessie glanced at Frank and Hazel.

"We all have them," Hazel confirmed, holding up her arm, "All full members of the legion do, which is why Frank doesn't have his yet."

Hazel's tattoo also had the letters SPQR, but she only had one score mark, and her emblem was different: a black glyph like a cross with curved arms and a head. Percy didn't look down at his arms because he knew what there would be: a shield hanging on his left, while the rest was covered by a leather jacket. Under that, no tattoos.

"So, you've never been a member of the legion," Reyna said. "These marks can't be removed. I thought perhaps…" She shook her head, as if dismissing an idea.

Hazel leaned forward. "If he's survived as a loner all this time, maybe he's seen Jason." She turned to Percy, "Have either of you ever met a demigod like us before? A guy in a purple shirt, with marks on his arm-"

"Hazel," Reyna's voice tightened, "They've got enough to worry about."

Percy touched the point of his sword and let go of Coral's grip, and sword and shield shrank back into a pen and gauntlet – Nessie's weapons simply faded from existence without any fanfare. _Do you know how they're talking about?_ Nessie asked him. He shook his head slightly.

"I haven't seen anyone like you guys before. Who's Jason?"

Reyna gave Hazel an irritated look. "He is… he _was_ my colleague." She waved her hand at the second empty chair. "The legion normally has two elected praetors. Jason Grace, son of Jupiter, was our other praetor until he disappeared last October."

Percy frowned, but it was Nessie who spoke, "You mean he's been gone for eight months and you haven't replaced him?"

"He might not be dead," Frank said, "We haven't given up."

Reyna grimaced. Percy got the feeling that this guy Jason might've been more to her than just a colleague.

"Elections only happen in two ways," Reyna said, "Either the legion raises someone on a shield after a major success on the battlefield – and we haven't had any major battles – or we hold a ballot on the evening of June 24, at the Feast of Fortuna. That's in a week and a half."

"You have a feast for _tuna?_" asked Nessie with an incredulous expression.

"_Fortuna,_" Hazel corrected, "She's the goddess of luck. Whatever happens on her feast day can affect the entire rest of the year. She can grant the camp good luck…"

"Or _really _bad luck," Frank finished for her. Reyna and Hazel both glanced at the empty display stand, as if thinking about what was missing.

_So _that's _what the whole Feast is about. _"In February, the gorgons mentioned that. So did Vesta. They said that the camp was going to be attacked that day, and they mentioned Gaea, an army, a giant in Alaska, and Death being unleashed. In fact, I think Vesta's message had to do with that."

Nessie took her cue and held her hand out, and the scroll appeared in a flash of flames. Reyna's fingers tightened around the hilt of her dagger, but she took the scroll anyways.

"You will say nothing about that outside this room," she ordered, "I will not have either of you spreading more panic in the camp."

"So it's true," said Nessie, "Do you know what's going to happen? Can we stop it?"

They had just met these people – Percy wasn't sure that he even liked Reyna to begin with – but they wanted to help. They were demigods, the same as him and Nessie. Besides, it wasn't just this camp at risk. His old life, the gods, and the entire world might be destroyed. Whatever was coming down, it was huge.

"We've talked enough for now," Reyna said, "Hazel, take them to Temple Hill. Find Octavian. On the way you can answer their questions. Tell them about the legion. Frank, you go to the armory and check our inventory."

"Yes, Reyna," they chorused.

The vampire shared a glance with the hybrid. He could tell from her expression that she had so many questions, her brain would probably melt. But Reyna made it clear the audience was over. She sheathed her dagger after breaking the seal on Vesta's scroll. The metal dogs stood and growled, inching towards him and Nessie.

"Good luck with the augury, Percy Jackson and Renesmee Cullen," she said, "If Octavian lets you live, perhaps we can compare notes."

**Don't be afraid to review!**

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**No, seriously, please review. **


	8. Of Priests and Family

**I would like to thank Aesir21 for pointing that last chapter was pretty much identical to Chapter III of The Son of Neptune. I'll try to keep it down as much as I can, but when it comes to describing things and locations, RR is the best. I'll limit it to that :)**

**Also, in each chapter from here on out I'll be putting codes for you, my readers, to crack. Here's the first one:**

**SGOJKT**

**I'll tell you what kind of code it is. Shift Codes are created when you shift the letters in a word a certain amount. Take the word Apple. If you shift the letters three spaces, you get DSSOH. I'm not going to give you the amount of shifts though: that's your job, I'm afraid. **

**If you figure it out, PM me! Good luck!**

Heroes of Olympus Book 2 – Rites of Blood

Chapter 8 – Nessie: Of Priests and Family

_June 11__th__, 2010 – Thirteen days to the Feast of Fortuna – Location: The Valley of New Rome_

"Well, now that this is over with…" Percy looked at the Praetor, "Is this place safe completely safe from monsters? I need to make a call… urgently."

Reyna nodded, giving him the go-ahead, and Percy made his exit. Nessie followed him after making sure that she was completely covered from the sun, Frank and Hazel behind her.

"_Percy?"_ In the background, she could hear a car engine – the doc was probably on his way to work. Vampire hearing was seriously handy.

"Hey, Carlisle, it's good to hear you," Percy answered. She absentmindedly listened to their conversation in the back of her mind.

"Um, Renesmee…" she turned to Frank, who was looking at her with slight worry, "Isn't the sun supposed to like burn you guys or something?"

She shook her head, "Not really. That's only stuff of legends. It gives us a different effect, but nothing harmful. I'll show it to you sometime, somewhere private." _And it's Nessie to you, remember?_ She added, projecting her thought to him.

He blinked in surprise at the internal voice before he nodded with a smile, "Sure… Nessie. I'll see you guys around. Good luck with Octavian." He turned to leave for the armory, but Hazel called him back.

"Frank, can I talk to you for a second?" asked Hazel. He nodded, confused, and they walked a few meters away. Nessie let them – she wouldn't tune in on their conversation.

Just then, she heard Carlisle ask,_ "What happened? Is Nessie hurt?"_ She turned at the mention of her name.

"No, nothing like that…" Percy pinched the bridge of his nose, "We had an… Italian encounter."

Carlisle sucked in a breath, _"Explain."_ After telling him everything, even about the approaching army (in 30 seconds, no less – the advantages of being able to talk faster), Carlisle sighed, _"This is bad. We had hoped that we wouldn't hear from them for some time, at least until Nessie was old enough, but it sounds like Aro's pride is making its' appearance again. Damn, this bad."_ Nessie blinked in surprise; it wasn't every day that you hear Carlisle Cullen cuss.

"The timing was too perfect, Carlisle. Demetri was waiting for us, and he knew that we would have to tell someone about our nature. He knew about our meeting with the wolves, and he knew where we were headed. This… this was planned, Carlisle." Percy paused, "Did Alice see anything?"

"_She still hasn't regained her vision, Percy. She gets flickers, but she can't focus on them long enough to get any information from them."_ Percy cursed. Ever since the spirit of the Oracle took possession of her, Alice's visions had stopped, leaving them completely blind on their journey.

"Carlisle… you know what this means, right?"

A moment of silence. Then, _"I know. I'll start making calls – it looks like we'll have to play host again."_

Percy nodded grimly, "I'm sorry."

"_Don't be. We knew that this would happen eventually, but like I said, we hoped that we could get a few more years. Still, if Demetri and Felix are here, the guard can't be that far behind. We'll call the others and pray that they get here in time."_

"Alright, then." Nessie sensed that he was going to say goodbye to Carlisle soon, so she projected to Percy, _Say hi to Carlisle for me, Perce. _Percy nodded when he got the message. "Nessie sends her love to the family."

Carlisle chuckled, _"Same here. Take care, Percy, and come back soon – it just isn't the same around here without you two."_

"We will," he promised. He started to hang up, but Carlisle called his name one last time. "Yeah?"

"_Just one last question, when you killed Santiago, did you burn the pieces?"_

Percy and Nessie froze, looking at each other in shock. How could they have forgotten such an important detail? "_Vlakas_!" Percy swore. She didn't know what the word meant, but it was probably bad.

Carlisle sighed, _"I figured you would forget. Don't worry about it – putting a vampire back together is extremely hard, and I double that Felix or Demetri had the patience to do it. Besides, you had more important things on your mind, right?"_

Percy scoffed, "Not that Edward's going to care… the moment he hears that Nessie was hurt both him and Bella are going to kill me."

"_You forgot Jacob and Rosalie."_ Nessie giggled at that, and Percy glared at her.

"You're not helping, Carlisle."

Carlisle laughed, _"Percy, relax. Stress is bad all around, even for vampires."_

He sighed, "I'll try, Carlisle. It's just…" He trailed off. Just then, Hazel came back, Frank already gone to the armory.

"Hey," she said, "Percy done yet?"

"_I know, Percy. I know,"_ she heard Carlisle say.

"Almost," she answered Hazel, who nodded in response.

Percy and the doc talked for a few more minutes before saying their goodbyes. Percy headed over to where Hazel and Nessie were waiting, his expression completely controlled – it could fool a human, but not Nessie.

"All right," he said, "Let's go see this Augur."

**SGOJKT**

On the way out of Camp, Hazel had offered to buy them an espresso drink and a blueberry muffin from Bombilo the two-headed coffee merchant, but she was surprised when Nessie actually accepted. Nessie explained to Hazel her hybrid status and her feeding habits (she could survive on a human or blood diet), and the conversation flowed from there. Hazel explained how the camp worked – how the (roughly) two-hundred were divided in five cohorts of forty cohorts each, instead of godly heritage. Percy had been surprised by the number of kids, but Hazel explained that some of them were Legacies – children and descendants of the gods.

Just then, they were interrupted by Vitellius, a Lar with a medicine-ball belly, a toga so long he kept tripping over it, and an interest in new recruits for the Fifth Cohort. He spoke about how in the day of Caesar ("_Julius_ Caesar, mind you!"), the Fifth Cohort was the power in the Twelfth Legion Fulminata, which in turn was the pride of Rome. Then, he proceeded to criticize the Fifth Cohort today, using Hazel's choice of weapon ("A _spatha _is a ridiculous weapon for a Roman legionnaire – that's for Cavalry!") as some sort of example. Thankfully, the tirade ended when Hazel reminded the Lares that they were in a hurry.

"Why don't you go check on Frank?" she had suggested, "He's in the armory doing inventory. You _know _how much he values your help." The purple ghost hurried away at that.

"O-h-h…," Percy said.

"Kay," finished Nessie.

"Sorry," Hazel said, "He's eccentric, but he's one of the oldest Lares. Been around since the legion was founded."

"He called the legion… _Fulminata?_" Percy asked.

"'Armed with Lightning,'" Hazel translated, "It's our motto." She explained how the Legion had been around for the Entire Roman Empire, and that when Rome fell, the Twelfth Legion went underground. Under orders of Jupiter himself, they stayed alive, recruiting demigods and their children to keep Rome going.

"We've been doing that ever since, moving around to wherever Roman influence was strongest. The last few centuries, we've been in America," Hazel finished. Nessie was both impressed and amazed, but Percy looked understanding.

"So what's the deal with the Fifth Cohort?" Nessie asked, "I heard some guys mention it back there, like it's not popular or something?"

Hazel shrugged, "We just have a pretty bad rep. I joined up last September." Hazel smiled, "Come, on, I'll show you my favorite view."

And show them she did. The fort was at the highest point in the valley, so when they stopped just outside the Main Gates, they could see pretty much everything. The road led down to the river and divided. One path led south across a bridge, up to the hill with all the temples. The other led north into the city, a miniature version of Ancient Rome. The city looked crowded, chaotic, and colorful. Even at this distance, Nessie could see people gathered in the plaza, shoppers milling around an open-air market, and parent with kids playing in the parks.

"You've got families here?" Percy asked Hazel with awe and wonder.

"Absolutely," Hazel said, "When you're accepted into the legion, you do ten years of service. After that, you can muster out whenever you want. Some of us go into the mortal world, but for some – well, it's pretty dangerous out there."

_You have no idea, _Nessie projected.

Hazel smiled sadly, "This valley is a sanctuary. You can go to college in the city, get married, have kids, retire when you get old… It's the only safe place on earth for people like us." Here, Percy shifted uncomfortably, but Hazel didn't notice.

Nessie frowned, "Not that I'm doubting the Legion, but what if you're attacked?"

Hazel opened her mouth to answer, but it was Percy who spoke. "Magical borders. I felt them when we were crossing the river."

Hazel nodded, impressed, "Exactly. The thing is, our strength isn't what it used to be. Lately, the monster attacks have been increasing. What you said about those gorgons not dying… we've noticed that too, with other monsters."

"But that was four months ago! Do you know what's causing it?"

Hazel looked away, and Percy and Nessie shared a glance. They could tell that Hazel was holding something back – something she wasn't supposed to say.

"It's- it's complicated," she said, "My brother says Death isn't-"

She never got to finish as they were interrupted by a full-grown pachyderm covered in black Kevlar armor. The elephant had panicked when it smelt Percy and Nessie, so they high-tailed it out of there and ran down the hill.

They eventually made it to Temple hill, but Nessie couldn't shake the expressions of fear that the fauns had when they passed them on the way. Percy and Nessie shared a knowing glance while Hazel picked a diamond from the road – something Nessie was sure hadn't been there a moment before. They didn't comment about it, preferring to walk in uneasy silence the rest of the way.

A crooked stone path led past a crazy assortment of tiny altars and massive domed vaults. Statues of gods seemed to follow Nessie with their eyes while Hazel pointed out different temples. Massive red crypt with human skulls on iron spikes: Temple of Mars Ultor, the Avenger. Small red building with a patch of dirt in the front: Temple of Bellona, Reyna's mom. Huge round pavilion with a ring of white columns supporting a domed roof with clouds swirling over the entire temple: Jupiter Optimus Maximus, the best and the greatest. Blue toolshed with a cobweb covered trident nailed above the door: Neptune's… temple. Nessie could tell Percy didn't appreciate the last one. Or Ares'.

"I'm sorry, Percy," Hazel said when she noticed him looking at the temple, "Romans have always been scared of the sea. They only used ships if they _had_ to. Even in modern times, having a child of Neptune around has always been a bad omen. The last time one joined the legion… well, it was 1906, when Camp Jupiter was located across the bay in San Francisco. There was this huge earthquake-"

Percy whirled around, "You're telling me a child of Neptune caused that?"

Hazel flinched, "So they say. Anyway… Romans fear Neptune, but they don't love him much."

Percy sighed dejectedly. He entered the temple and stood in front of the altar with a strange expression. He held his hand out, palm up, and a miniature cyclone was formed as water vapor from the air condensed. Hazel sucked in a breath at the display, but Nessie was unmoved – she had seen him do even more impressive things. Percy bent his head in prayer, murmuring unintelligibly before setting the cyclone on the altar, where it kept spinning on its own.

Percy turned around, "Let's go."

**SGOJKT**

Compared to Neptune's tool shed, Jupiter's temple was definitely optimus and maximus. The marble floor was etched with fancy mosaics and Latin inscriptions. Sixty feet above them, the domed ceiling sparkled gold, and the whole temple was open to the wind. In the center stood a marble altar, where a kid in a toga was doing some sort of ritual in front of a massive golden statue of the bid dude himself: Jupiter the sky god, dressed in a silk purple toga, holding a lightning bolt like a spear. Percy smirked when he saw the bolt, but didn't comment.

The kid at the altar raised his hands, and more red lightning flashed in the sky, shaking the temple. The he put his hands down, and the rumbling stopped, the clouds above them going from gray to white and breaking apart.

_Impressive,_ Nessie projected to Percy, _for a shrimp._ Percy snickered softly. The kid was tall and skinny, with straw-colored hair, over-sized jeans, a baggy T-shirt, and a drooping toga.

Then, the guy turned around, and Percy sucked in a surprised breath.

_Percy? _Nessie asked him, _What's wrong?_ Percy shook his head softly, schooling his features and suppressing his emotions, and Nessie focused on the Augur. He had a crooked smile and a slightly crazy look in his eyes, like a vampire from a recent hunt. In one hand, he held a knife, and in the other there was a disemboweled stuffed animal – neither of the two objects made him look any less crazy.

"Percy, Nessie," Hazel said, "this is Octavian."

"The _graecus _and the priestess!" Octavian announced, "How interesting."

Nessie blinked in surprise – did he know? "Uh, hi…" she said, "Why do you have a disemboweled teddy bear?"

Octavian looked at the animal in his hands and laughed. "I'm afraid it is out of necessity. Once upon a time, we used to read the will of the gods by examining animal guts – chickens, goats, that sort of thing. Nowadays, we use these." Just then, Nessie noticed the piles of stuffing littering the altar.

"Seriously?" Percy asked with a raised eyebrow and Octavian stepped of the dais. He probably about eighteen, but he looked so skinny and sickly pale that he could've passed for someone younger. His eyes glittered with harsh curiosity, which narrowed suspiciously at Percy.

"You seem nervous," he said.

"You look a lot like an old friend of mine," Percy said, though he hesitated slightly at the word 'friend', "He's been dead for some time now, though."

Octavian nodded. "I'm sorry for your loss," he said, but he didn't sound sorry at all – more like he was saying it out of politeness.

Nessie raised an eyebrow at Percy's declaration, but didn't press the issue. Instead, she turned to Octavian, "Why did you call Percy a Greek and me a priestess?"

"I saw it in the auguries." Octavian waved his knife at the pile of stuffing on the altar. "The message said: _The Greek and the priestess have arrived._ Or possibly: _The geese and pieces have cried._ I'm thinking it's the first interpretation that's correct. You seek to join the legion?"

Hazel spoke for the two of them. She told him everything that happened since they met at the tunnel – the vampires, the fight at the tunnel entrance, their conversation with Reyna. However, when Hazel mentioned that Nessie was a champion of Vesta, Octavian looked surprised.

"Vesta," Octavian mused, "The goddess of Hearth, Home, and Family. She is usually a very peaceful goddess, but if she has chosen now to choose a champion… dark times are headed our way." He focused on Nessie, "It is not by chance that you came during these days. We are still celebrating Vestalia – unfortunately for you, it is now your obligation to tend to the temple of Vesta and to accept the offerings."

Nessie frowned, "I wasn't aware that I had those kind of responsibilities… but I'm not surprised. I'll tend to the fire soon. I'm more concerned on the warning Vesta gave us about the Feast of Fortuna. Did you see anything like that in your stuffing?"

Octavian sighed, "Sadly, no. The will of the gods is hard to discern, and these days, my vision is darker."

"Maybe stuffed bears aren't as efficient when it comes to the auguries themselves," said Nessie.

Octavian shrugged, "They work just as well, actually. Besides, they're not as messy – I hear its murder to clean out the bloodstains out of togas."

"What about an oracle?" asked Percy, "Don't you have one of those?"

"An Oracle! How cute. No, I'm afraid we're fresh out of Oracles. Now if we'd gone questing for the Sibylline books, like I recommended…" Octavian trailed off.

"Sibylline books?" Percy asked. Quite frankly, Nessie was curious too.

"Books of prophecy," Hazel explained, "which Octavian is _obsessed_ with. Ancient Romans used to consult them when disasters happened. Most people believe they burned up when Rome fell."

"Yes, well, regardless of their survival, the books themselves were lost, and we were left with bits and pieces of their contents, such as those." Octavian pointed at one of the inscriptions on the floor, and Nessie looked at them, not thinking that she would recognize one.

Percy gasped, "That one, right there! _Eight half-bloods shall answer the call, to storm or fire the world must fall-"_

"Yes, yes," Octavian waved a dismissive hand, finishing the prophecy without looking, "_An oath to keep with a final breath, and foes bear arms to the Doors of Death._"

Percy looked pale, even for a vampire, and his body started shaking slightly, "That- that's a great prophecy! _The_ Great Prophecy… it's one of the most important prophecies out there!"

Octavian arched an eyebrow, "Of course it's important. We call it the Prophecy of Eight, but it's several thousand years old. We don't know what it means… and every time someone tries to figure it out, bad things happen. You should ask Hazel about that."

Said demigod glared, "Just read the auguries for the two of them, will you? Can they join the Legion or not?"

Octavian's eyes narrowed at the two of them, but Nessie met his gaze challengingly. The augur nodded, and turned to a second pile of stuffed animals – these fully intact. He grabbed two teddy bears and handed them to Percy and Nessie, instructing them to, "breath your essence" onto the stuffed animals. Hazel just rolled her eyes and told them to rub them once or twice.

Octavian took the animals when they were done and placed them onto the altar side-by-side. He raised his knife, cutting Percy's first, spilling the stuffing over the altar. As Octavian muttered some words over the fluff, Nessie projected to Percy, _What, no thunder and red lightning this time? I'm disappointed._ Percy smiled in response as Octavian pushed the stuffing onto the floor and grabbed Nessie's teddy bear. When the stuffing was on the altar, however, Octavian frowned. After a few seconds, he turned around.

"Well, some good news, and some bad news," he said, "The good news is, Percy may join the Legion. We'll assign him a Cohort at evening muster – tell Reyna I approve."

Hazel's shoulders relaxed, but only slightly, "And Renesmee?"

Octavian made a _tsk-_ing sound, "That's where it gets complicated. You see, as a champion of Vesta, she automatically takes control over the order of the Vestal Virgins. In the old days, she would have been known as _Vestalium Maxima, _the greatest of the Vestals. By default, Renesmee Cullen _is _a Vestal Virgin – just with more privileges, such as going around fighting monsters on the goddess' behalf."

"Get to the point," said Percy, and Octavian scowled at him.

"Very well," he turned to Nessie, "The point is that you're a priestess of the Vestal Virgins, and as such, you cannot join the Legion. You can train with the other legionnaires, you can participate in a battle, you can accompany a Cohort during a mission, but at the end of the day, you answer only to Vesta herself. There are other technicalities in there, such as not having a relationship with a man until your thirty years of service are up, or sleeping in the company of men, but you'll figure those out as you go."

Nessie frowned, "What about you? You're part of the legion – Isn't an augur a type of priest?"

"True. That's not what gets in your way, however – it is your status as _Vestalium Maxima_ what doesn't allow you entrance to the legion."

Nessie shared a glance with Percy, and she noted that at the same time he frowned, he was slightly happy. Her eyes narrowed, _You're happy that I can't date Jacob, aren't you?_ Percy smirked.

That's when the reality of the situation hit her. What was Jacob going to think about all this?

_Oh, shit._

**SGOJKT**

They left soon after that. There was a tense moment in which Octavian blackmailed Hazel in front of them to gain support for the preatorship vote, but all Nessie had to do was summon her knife, reminding the augur of her privileges – namely, "I could try my hand at auguries – with you – and get away with it." Octavian was only too happy to back down and continue searching for Jason Grace in his auguries.

"Oh, and Hazel," Octavian called before they exited, "Your brother's here. He's waiting for you at your father's shrine. Just ah… don't invite him to stay for long – he has a disturbing effect on the others. Now, if you'll excuse me… It was to meet you, Percy, Renesmee."

As soon as they exited the temple, Hazel let loose a string of curses in Latin. Nessie didn't catch most of them, but she did understand something along the lines of _son of a gorgon, power-hungry snake,_ and a lot of suggestions as to where Octavian could stick his knife.

"I _hate_ that guy," she said in English, "If I had my way…"

"He won't really get elected Praetor, will he?" Percy asked.

"I honestly don't know. Octavian has many friends, and most of them are _bought._ It doesn't help that the campers are afraid of him."

"I can see why," said Nessie with a scowl, "he's a manipulative bastard. I mean, blackmail? Is he so confident about himself that he doesn't care about doing it in front of other people?"

Hazel shrugged, "I don't know, but don't underestimate him. Reyna's not so bad on her own, but if Octavian gets a _shred_ of that power…" She shuddered, "Let's go meet my brother. He'll want to meet you both."

Nessie glanced at Percy, but didn't argue. If anything, she wanted to meet this mysterious brother – maybe she could learn something from Hazel's background, like who her dad was, or what secret she was hiding that was bad Octavian could blackmail her with it.

Hazel led them to a black crypt built into the side of the hill. Standing in front was a boy in black jeans and an aviator jacket – something Nessie was sure that was reason enough to give Alice a heart attack.

"Hey," Hazel called, "I brought some friends."

The boy turned. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Percy stiffen. The kid was almost as pale as Octavian, but with dark eyes and messy dark hair. He didn't look anything like Hazel – even a human could figure that out. He wore a silver skull ring, a chain for a belt, and a black t-shirt with skull designs, and at his side hung a pitch-black sword.

When Percy started to shake, Nessie started to worry. The boy, however, as soon as he saw Percy he frowned, but held out his hand anyways.

"Pleasure to meet you," he said, "I'm-"

"Nico di Angelo, son of Hades," said Percy. The boy blinked, and Nessie saw why – at the moment, Percy looked like… like a vampire. He was pissed. His hand shook as he grasped Nico's, "I'm Percy Jackson."

One look at Nico's face, and Nessie knew that things were not good.

_Oh, _shit.

**I. Am. Cruel. Review!**


	9. Of Temples and Ribbons

**Well, I'm back! Sorry I've taken so long, but to be honest I haven't had neither the time nor the inspiration to write recently. I'm taking summer classes, so you can imagine how it is when you have to shove in 6-month's-worth material in four weeks. And I have my midterm next Monday, and my final is the week after that, so... yeah, you get the idea. Anyways, here's chapter 9, and I hope you guys enjoy!**

**Here's this week's shift code: WFTUB**

**P.S.: Please, Review! I know I have people who read the fic, so come on, don't be afraid!**

Heroes of Olympus Book 2 – Rites of Blood

Chapter 9 – Nessie: Of Temples and Ribbons

_June 11__th__, 2010 – Thirteen days to the Feast of Fortuna – Location: The Valley of New Rome_

"Do you think they'll be alright?" Hazel asked worriedly.

Nessie glanced back at Percy and Nico, _They'll be fine. It's just a family matter, if you get what I mean. They have to work this out on their own._ Hazel nodded, but she still looked worried, so Nessie continued, _Why don't you show me Vesta's Temple? I have to check it out anyways, might as well do it now._

Hazel nodded, glancing one more time to the vampire and demigod before leading Nessie away. They walked for a few minutes before stopping in front of a soft-orange colored circular temple. It was about two stories tall, with a central inner chamber surrounded by columns on the outside, which supported a domed ceiling.

"Well, this is it," Hazel said, "The Temple of Vesta. Women from the city and the legion occasionally volunteer to take care of the temple and make sure that the fire inside is always lit, but since it's Vestalia, people are coming here every day to pray and give offerings to the goddess."

Nessie nodded. "When does Vestalia end?" she asked.

"On the fifteenth. I'm not sure what your job at the temple is, but it's probably what Octavian said, receiving the offerings and taking care of the temple."

They entered the temple through the open entryway that was facing to the east. Inside, there was no statue to Vesta, just a lit fire in a simple circular hearth in the center of the temple floor. There was a wooden box on the other side of the hearth, and a black staff for stroking the fire was lying on the ground next to it.

_Simple,_ Nessie thought, _just like Hestia._ She flashed forward, kneeling at the edge of the hearth. She grabbed the iron staff, and stroked the fire with a smile, as if she had been doing the motion for years instead of seconds. The fire in the hearth jumped up, as if it was happy that it was being taken care of, and Nessie's smile widened – she liked it here already.

Hazel kneeled as well, bowing her head in prayer as Nessie focused her attention on the wooden crate next to the hearth. It was simple wooden box, with iron fastenings and no lock on the lid. When Nessie opened the lid, she raised her eyebrows.

"I have to wear robes?" she asked incredulously. Hazel looked up, surprised, but she smirked when Nessie held up the items inside the crate.

"They're not robes," Hazel said, "The triangular one, the one that's made of white wool, that's an _infula,_ a fillet, and it goes on top of your hair, like a shawl. The _suffibulum_ is a veil, again made from wool, but you only wear that during rituals and sacrifices – of course, since we're celebrating Vestalia, you'll have to wear it the entire time. Finally, you have the _palla,_ which is the long white one. It was common for women to use them in Ancient Rome, like a toga, but nowadays only the Senators and Priests use them." At Nessie's pleading look, she sighed, "Let me show you how to put them on – we have to see if they fit anyways."

A few minutes later, Hazel stepped back to admire her handiwork, "I have to say, you don't look so bad." Nessie scowled at her, but the effect was minimized because of the veil covering her face. Hazel, sensing this, continued, "At least you don't have to worry about the sun as much anymore."

Renesmee paused before nodding, "True. But I look like some sort of Assassin or something." Hazel giggled in response.

As it turned out, the crate didn't contain just the three clothing items. In their search for the brooches to fasten the _palla_ they discovered more items: the brooches themselves ("Always on the left shoulder, Nessie."), two white and red ribbons that went under the suffibulum ("You can't wear these yet, though."), a white _stola_ or long-sleeved dress for ceremonies and other important events, and some armor pieces made from leather and Imperial Gold.

There was a simple cuirass that went under the _palla_, but over Nessie's clothes, plus a set of gauntlets, thigh guards and a pair of knee-high boots. The cuirass was solid Imperial Gold, covering her entire chest and back, and with only one pauldron on her right shoulder. The gauntlets had Imperial gold plates to protect her forearms, with leather protecting her elbows and her upper arms, and the boots had plates protecting her forelegs – the thigh guards were solid Imperial Gold, and completely encircled her thighs. On top of all that went the white _palla_, which flared to her right side and behind her legs, allowing Nessie to walk perfectly without her tripping over it – and show plenty of her legs. There was a belt as well that went on her waist, and she was quick to summon her dagger and place it in the sheath that was attached to the belt.

Apparently, Vestal Virgins were not to be underestimated. That, or Vesta wanted to protect her champion.

_Alice and Rosalie would approve,_ thought Nessie sardonically, _Mom and Dad would kill me though._

Just then, she heard two sets of feet approach the temple, but only one heartbeat to accompany them. She hurriedly took off the veil and the _infula_ – no need for Percy to see her in _those_.

"Sounds like Percy and your brother are done talking," she notified Hazel, "They're on their way here."

Hazel gave her a curious look, "What do you…" She trailed off as the two mentioned entered the temple, though they stopped as soon as they saw Nessie. Percy raised his eyebrows in surprise, but Nico's jaw dropped as his eyes roamed over her figure – the armor _did_ enhance some of her curves. Add in the beauty given by her vampirism, and she was officially some sort of Succubus. She mentally groaned – she did _not_ need to deal with this right now.

_Still,_ she thought with a mental smirk, _he _is_ kind of cute._

"Whoa," said Percy, jarring her from her thoughts, "Those are the robes for a Vestal Virgin? I thought they would be more…" He frowned, "Priestly."

She scoffed, "Is that even a word?"

"It is now," he said. He glanced at Nico with a smirk, "I'm sure Nico here has something to say about it though."

Nico blinked before throwing Percy a glare that befitted a son of the Lord of the Dead. He turned back at Nessie and spoke in a respectful tone, "I apologize for my earlier actions. Percy already told me that you're a Vestal Virgin, so I'm sure that what I did wasn't appreciated. My name is Nico di Angelo, son of Pluto, and Ambassador for the Realm of Hades here in New Rome." He held out his hand with a smile, and Nessie couldn't help but take it and smile back.

"Renesmee Cullen," she said, "But I'm sure that you already knew that." She glanced at Percy meaningfully, and he smiled in return.

"So what's with the Assassin's Creed look?" Percy asked her, and she shrugged in response.

"I don't know," she said, "I found the armor and the clothes in here, so when I asked Hazel about them, we decided to see if they fit."

He flashed over to the chest. "And those?" he asked, pointing at the ribbons and dress still inside.

"Dress for formal events and the ribbons that symbolize the oaths of commitment to keeping the fire of Vesta and to my vow of purity. Vows that I haven't taken yet." She sighed, "Truthfully, I'm kind of nervous about that."

Percy gave a sympathetic look – he was already familiar with what those types of oaths entailed. "Don't worry about your family Ness, I'm sure they'll understand."

"It's not fair…" she sniffed, some of the pressure finally getting to her.

In a flash, Percy was bringing her into his arms, hugging her and soothing her as she started to cry, Nico and Hazel making a retreat to give them some space. She hadn't been honest with him, Nessie realized then. She wasn't just nervous, she was terrified: terrified of the vows, terrified of being the Champion of Hestia or Vesta or whoever the goddess decided to be today, terrified of the monsters she hadn't fought or even seen yet in the first place, terrified of what her mom or dad would think of her after they heard of her killing Santiago, terrified of the Volturi, terrified of what would happen if the Romans found out about their vampirism, terrified for Percy if they found out about his Greek heritage…

"Hey, now don't worry about me," Percy said, and Nessie realized she had been accidentally projecting her thoughts to him through their hug, "They won't find out, so there's nothing to worry about."

"And if they do?" Nessie couldn't help ask, "What then?"

She felt him shrug, "I'm a tough guy… and much better looking. I think I'll have the advantage when it comes to a fight."

Nessie chuckled, "You, good looking? Please, if the Romans start running away it'll be because of how ugly you are." They laughed a little more, and after a while she pulled away with a smile. "Thanks, Percy, I needed that."

He smiled softly at her, "Anytime." They remained silent for a few seconds before Percy broke it again, "By the way, Nico knows."

"_What!?"_

**WFTUB**

"So this story about Gaea's army… did you warn Reyna?"

Nessie nodded, _We did, but I'm still finding it hard to believe that Mother Earth is evil._

Nico sighed, "Believe it. A long time ago, she convinced her eldest son, Kronos, to kill his father with his own scythe. And later on, when the Titans were defeated, she gave birth to a race of giants with the spirit of Tartarus. Each giant was born to oppose an Olympian – Enceladus to Athena, Alcyoneus to Hades, for example. Thankfully, they were eventually defeated as well… The first time."

"The first time?" asked Nessie, confused.

Nico glanced at Hazel, like he was guilty about something, and it involved her. "Last summer," he said, "the Titans tried to make a comeback, and there was a second Titan War. The Romans got involved, and they stormed their stronghold on Mount Othrys, across the bay, destroying his throne. Saturn disappeared-" At this, he glanced at Percy, who shook his head slightly. Nessie knew what really happened, of course – _Kronos_ was defeated by Percy. This whole thing was probably for the benefit of the Romans, to keep the Greek's existence secret.

"Anyways," he continued, "Saturn probably faded back into the abyss, and we all thought the war was over. Now, it looks like the defeat of the Titans has stirred Gaea from her sleep. She's starting to wake up, and not only that, I've heard rumors of giants being reborn. If they want to challenge the gods again, they'll probably start by attacking demigods…"

_And you've told this to the Romans?_ She projected.

"Of course," he scowled, "but they don't trust me. Children of Pluto… no offense, but we're considered worse that children of Neptune. We're bad luck."

Nessie scoffed, _Is there anything or anyone that the Romans _don't _consider bad luck?_

Nico grinned, "Vestal Virgins."

_Cheeky bastard._

Nico laughed in response, but he quickly sobered up when Hazel started to speak, "The thing is, Gaea or the giants aren't our biggest problem. The thing that Percy noticed about the gorgons, how they didn't die… _that's _out biggest problem."

Percy frowned, "Nico and I figured that out. During my transformation Nessie's mother went back to track down the gorgons… she didn't find them. The only trail with their scent on them also had my scent, which meant that it was the same one where they were chasing me."

"So?" asked Nessie.

Nico spoke up, "You know how monsters turn into dust when you kill them? If you kick it apart, or throw enough water onto the remains, they won't reform as quickly. Washington's rainy enough, so the water must've kept their essence apart."

Nessie blinked, _That actually makes sense. But what do you think is allowing the monsters to reform so quickly?_

Hazel glanced at Nico, "Well, Nico and I… we think that Death isn't-"

Before she could finish, a shout came from down the hill. Frank Zhang jogged towards them, wearing his jeans, purple camp shirt, and denim jacket, with greasy hands from cleaning weapons. As soon as she saw him, Hazel's heartbeat performed a little skip-beat tap-dance – and something like that was obvious to anyone with Vampire hearing.

Smirking slightly, Nessie put a finger on Hazel's forearm, _You like him._ Hazel looked at her with an expression of alarm and annoyance, and in response, she had the sound of her own heartbeat projected at her. Hazel's eyes widened.

"That… was creepy," she said. Nico gave her a questioning look, but Percy pointed out Nessie's touch on Hazel and understanding lit his eyes.

Nessie rolled her eyes, _That's beside the point. You like him… and you're in denial about it._

Frank reached them before Hazel could answer. "Hey, Nico…"

"Frank," Nico smiled. Nessie noticed a few things at that moment – Frank wasn't nervous about Nico's presence, and in turn, Nico seemed to find Frank amusing.

"Reyna sent me to get Percy and Renesmee," Frank said, "Did Octavian accept you?"

"He accepted me, but not Nessie," Percy answered. Frank looked surprised, as did Nico – they hadn't told him.

"Did he say why?" asked Frank.

_My status as a Vestal Virgin. Bottom line, I can't join the Legion, but I can train with the Legionnaires._

Frank nodded, "I guess it makes sense… Still, we'll have to get the two of you cleaned up for evening muster. Not that you need it…" He trailed off after looking at the two while Nessie and Percy shared a smirk. Even after their scuffle with Demetri, Felix and Santiago, their clothes were barely ruffled, and Nessie had just changed clothes. And besides, a dirty vampire was unheard off – Vampires are too graceful to trip or get dirty in any kind of way, and they don't sweat either, so most of the Cullen's clothes ended up in goodwill; gods forbid wearing the same shirt twice, or else Alice would get on your case.

Then Nessie remembered the Roman baths. Looking over to the hills, she noticed the lowering sun. How had the day gone by so fast?

"You know, now that you mention it, a bath would be nice," she said, ignoring Percy's look of surprise and confusion, "I think the temple can manage itself for another night on its own."

Hazel spoke up, "In that case, we should-"

"Frank," Nico interrupted, "why don't you take Nessie and Percy down? Hazel and I will be along soon."

_Hazel looks worried,_ Nessie thought to herself, _I wonder why?_

"That- that's a good idea," Hazel managed at last, "Go ahead, guys. We'll catch up."

"_Tell Nico I want to talk to him later,"_ Percy whispered to Nessie, too low for the demigods to hear. She merely glanced upwards towards the sky, then back at the floor, moving only her eyes. Only Percy would know that she was nodding.

"Settle in, guys," said Nico, "My sister and I need to talk."

As they left, Nessie brushed by Nico, and she felt him start in surprise as she gave him the message. Halfway down the hill, she glanced back and received Nico's nod of agreement as he and Hazel walked back to Pluto's crypt.

As they walked down the hill, Nessie reached over and brushed her hand against Percy's. _So, what did you and Nico talk about?_

Sparing Frank a glance to make sure he wasn't eavesdropping, he started to whisper, "Mostly how he knew about Camp Jupiter. Apparently his father brought him here and showed him how to get here a few weeks after the end of the Titan war. Hades made him swear on the river Styx not to tell anyone at Camp Half-Blood that he knew of the Roman's existence, especially after I disappeared. At first I was mad, but once he explained himself…" Percy shrugged, "It was easy to forgive him. Besides, he came clean and told me the _real_ reason why he kept quiet about the Romans. No, I can't tell you, you'll have to figure it out on your own."

Nessie raised an eyebrow, but didn't press the issue. Instead, she reminded him of a rather pressing issue: "What are we going to do about Santiago?"

Percy scowled, "That's one of the things I wanted to talk to Reyna about. I was thinking of going during dinner, with the excuse of going hunting-"

_No. If she's alone, come clean with her. I think it'll pay off on the long run, especially when it comes to her trust._

Percy acquiesced, "You might be right. It would end up playing in her favor anyways. If Demetri and Felix are still around, we'll definitely know. If not… well, unless it rains, then their scent should stick around for a day or two, and I managed to get a tenor on the two of them. I'll be able to track them."

Percy's tracking sense was interesting, Nessie reflected. If he wanted to find someone that he had never met, all he had to do think really hard about them, and he would get a general sense of where they were – by general she meant, 'he's going north' type of thing. But if he were to actually meet them, he could use either their scent or the 'tenor' of their minds to track them accurately, no matter how far they were. They had tested the ability about a month previous, when Alice and Rosalie took a flight to Québec, and Percy, being extremely bored at the time, ran with Jasper and Emmett all the way to Winnipeg – apparently Alice and Rosalie had changed their plans without telling anyone and ended up in the city, and Percy was able to find them with no problems.

Nessie nodded, _What about the prophecy?_

She was graced with a sigh, and an ominous, "We'll cross that bridge when we have to."

**WFTUB**

To say that Nessie was impressed by the amassed Legion was an understatement. Still, it would a lot more than a couple-hundred kids armed to the teeth with golden weapons, chain-mail, greaves, and leather combat boots with iron cleats to intimidate a vampire, even a hybrid.

Renesmee Carlie Cullen, intimidated? When Hell freezes over, Emmett would say.

Impressive as the Legion was however, she and Percy took the prize. While they showered (not that they needed it) Percy had tapped into the Storm-bringer powers inherited from his father, slowly making the day overcast and cloudy so that the sun wouldn't shine while they were presented to the Legion, but at a cost – while Percy's eyes wouldn't give any indication of it, remaining blood-red, he would need to hunt, and soon. Still, it was a necessary sacrifice if they wanted their natures to remain anonymous.

They had been given fresh clothes, a fact that was appreciated by her, even though the purple t-shirt wasn't her taste. She'd worn her Vestal Armor minus the veil and shawl on top of her clothes while Percy refused to take off his studded black leather jacket – combined with his pale skin, black hair (still wet from his shower) and red eyes, he looked like the modern-day demon you didn't want your daughter to be near with a ten-foot pole. Nessie had to give it to him – he looked… sexy.

Unfortunately, the first time she had thought along those lines she accidentally projected them to him, and Percy was making sure that she regretted it. It wasn't until she projected a close-up of Jacob's face before he kissed her for the first time that Percy finally stopped.

Each cohort was amassed in front of their respective barracks. All of the campers were dressed for war, and in front of the Legionnaires, like a row of dominoes, stood their red and gold shields, each one the size of a refrigerator door. Each Legionnaire carried a _Pilum_, a _Gladius_, and a small dagger, along with the rest of their equipment, which probably weighed at least a couple hundred pounds.

As the legionnaires came to order, she and Percy were escorted to the front with a couple of guards while Reyna watched them with a piercing eye from atop a Pegasus. Nessie noticed that she kept glancing at the sky, as if worrying about the sun.

_Don't worry about it,_ Nessie projected to her. Reyna jumped, but no one noticed as she looked at her. Nessie continued, keeping eye contact with Reyna, _The Greeks knew Neptune as the Storm-Bringer – apparently, Percy can tap into that. _Reyna raised a questioning eyebrow, glancing at the overcast sky one last time before returning her gaze to Nessie. She nodded once in response, and Reyna seemed to relax a little.

Just then, Nessie heard two sets of feet running towards them. Nico di Angelo and Hazel Levesque were running full-pelt, apparently hoping to make it before roll-call. Unfortunately, the Fifth Cohort was assembled at the end of the Via Praetoria, in front of the _Principia_, so their entrance was pretty obvious. She noticed Octavian smirk at Hazel, and heard Hazel's heartbeat spike with anger in response – she seriously hated the guy.

"Hazel Levesque," Reyna called as she passed her, "So glad you could join us."

Hazel didn't answer, of course, preferring to take her place next to Frank and standing at attention before answering when her name was called. Meanwhile, Nico joined Percy and Nessie on the sidelines, standing next to them after giving them a reassuring smile, which they returned. Nico raised an eyebrow at Percy's choice of attire, but didn't comment.

"Colors!" Octavian shouted. Immediately, five kids wearing lion-capes holding poles with different emblems stepped forwards – standard bearers. The last one to present his standard was the member of the fifth, who was holding a pole with absolutely nothing on top. Nessie shared a glance with Percy, who shrugged in response.

Just then, Reyna brought her Pegasus to a halt. "Romans!" she shouted, "You've probably heard of our two new recruits, Percy Jackson and Renesmee Cullen. Renesmee has been chosen as the First Champion of Vesta, and Percy Jackson was tasked by the goddess herself to guard her."

As the kids in the back rows craned their necks to see them, Nessie blinked in surprise. Reyna's alibi about Percy being a bodyguard was good, but it also opened the door to more questions than answers. Still, it would have to do. Meanwhile, Percy was meeting people's gazes head-on, and in response, glances were averted – red eyes tend to get that kind of reaction. As for Nessie, she was starting to curse her armor – if one more legionnaire checked her out like that again, she was going to-

Reyna continued, "They seek to join the Legion. What do the Auguries say?"

"I have read the entrails!" Octavian announced as if he had killed a mountain lion with his bare hands instead of a stuffed bear. "The auguries are favorable! Percy Jackson is qualified to serve!"

The campers gave a shout: _"Ave!"_ Hail!

Octavian raised a hand, "However, Renesmee Cullen cannot join the Legion – Vesta forbids it. She may train and be sent on quests with other legionnaires, but cannot join the legion herself." This time, the campers stayed silent.

Reyna motioned with her hand, and one kid stepped forward from each Cohort, including Octavian. He turned to Percy.

"Recruit," he asked, "do you have credentials? Letters of reference?"

Here Nessie frowned. According to Lupa, the scroll that Hestia had given them was also a letter of recommendation, but it was for her, not Percy. Besides, Reyna had that scroll now.

Percy looked at Octavian with a bored expression, "Letters? No."

At the sound of his voice, some of the girls in the cohorts shivered. Nessie smirked in amusement – Percy's vampiric allure had them _hooked._

Octavian wrinkled his nose. "No letters," he said regretfully, "Will any legionnaires stand for him?"

_You know what to do._ Nessie stiffened in surprise, causing Percy to glance at her.

_Lady Hestia?_ No answer, but Nessie got the message. She looked over at Frank and Hazel, and simply projected two words.

_Step forward._

As if he wasn't in control of himself, Frank stepped forward. "I will!"

Immediately there were shouts of protest from the other cohorts. Reyna raised her hand, and the noise died down.

"Frank Zhang," she said, "for the second time today, I remind you that you are on _probatio_. Your godly parent has not even claimed you yet. You're not eligible to stand for another camper until you've earned your first stripe."

Poor Frank looked like he might die of embarrassment. Thankfully, Hazel stepped forward as well.

"I am a full member of the Legion! I will stand for Percy Jackson."

Next to her, Nico grinned at his sister proudly. Frank glanced at her gratefully even as the other cohorts started to mutter.

"Barely eligible…"

"… just got her first stripe…"

"… should learn her place…"

"Poor guy. Another loser to the Fifth…"

That last comment convinced Nessie that she had done well by listening to her patron. Reyna wrinkled her nose as she turned to Octavian, and the augur smiled and shrugged as if the idea amused him. Nessie understood why – better to have all your enemies in one place, where he could keep an eye on them.

However, as the saying goes, you reap what you sow.

"Very well," Reyna announced, "Hazel Levesque, you may stand for the recruit. Does you cohort accept him?"

The other cohorts started coughing, trying to disguise their laughter as Frank pounded his shield into the ground. The rest of his cohort followed him, though they did so without much excitement. The two commanding officers of the fifth cohort – Gwen and Dakota, Nessie remembered Frank telling them – shared a glance as if saying, _here we go again._

So she projected again, disguising her mental 'voice' to mirror Hestia's kind one.

_He has my blessing. Take him with honor._

Gwen stiffened in surprise, making Dakota looked at her inquisitively, but she shook her head. She spoke up, her face pale, "My cohort has spoken. We accept the recruit." She hesitated, as if she was about to say something, but Reyna gave her no chance.

"Congratulations, Percy Jackson. You stand on _probatio_. You will be given a tablet with your name and cohort. In one year's time, or as soon as you complete an act of valor, you will become a full member of the Twelfth Legion Fulminata. Serve Rome, obey the rules of the Legion, and defend the camp with honor. Take your place among the ranks of your cohort – they are your brothers and sisters now."

Percy nodded once before stepping forward. Nessie noticed that he was definitely overdoing the vampiric grace – what was he playing at? Hades, even Hazel was affected, judging from the way she was fanning herself – as he walked to the front lines of the fifth cohort. The Legionnaires parted for him, either intimidated or awed by his display of inhuman grace and power in those few steps. As he took his place next to Hazel, he held his left arm across his sternum.

"_Coral!"_

The Leviathan gauntlet on his arm came to life, expanding until the golden shield was open for the world to see. People's jaws dropped as they beheld the enormous shield – if the legionnaires' shields were the size of refrigerator doors, Percy's was the refrigerator itself, never mind several inches thicker.

Octavian, Nessie noticed, looked like he was going to get a coronary.

Reyna blinked at the display, before raising her voice, _"Senatus Populusque Romanus!"_ The legion, Percy and Nessie included, echoed the cheer, and Reyna turned her Pegasus away from Percy to face Nessie.

"Renesmee Cullen," she said, "The auguries claim you unfit for the legion due to special circumstances. You have been chosen by Vesta herself to be her champion on this earth to do her bidding. Do you know what this means?"

_Now or never,_ Nessie thought nervously.

"I do."

"Will you take your vows?"

"I will."

"Very well. Octavian!" The blond boy turned, "Before you go to dinner, take Renesmee to the temple of Vesta and accept her vows. I shall join you momentarily."

"Yes, Reyna."

Reyna turned to the Legion. "Centurions, you and your troops have one hour for dinner. Then we will meet on the field of Mars. The First and Second Cohorts will defend. The Third, Fourth, and Fifth will attack. Good fortune!"

**WFTUB**

_Take a deep breath. Relax. It's just a vow of chastity that only lasts for thirty years. It's not that long for a vampire, right? Dad was always saying that the years tend to blur after a while…_

"Are you ready?" came Reyna's voice.

_No._ "Yes, Reyna," she answered, sounding much more confident than she felt.

"Then let us begin."

Renesmee stepped forward before kneeling in front of the Hearth in the temple of Vesta. She spread her arms to her sides with open palms, as if asking for a hug, and turned her gaze to the burning embers. Octavian stood to her left, and Reyna to her right, and they both held a red-colored scroll in their hands and one of the ribbons from the chest – Reyna the white one, Octavian the red one.

Reyna opened her scroll softly, as if worried that it would rip or be damaged if she was too hasty. She cleared her throat before speaking:

"Do you, Renesmee Cullen, swear to remain a maiden, and to turn your back on the company of men, until your duty has been paid with time?"

Renesmee swallowed before answering, "I, Renesmee Cullen, swear to remain a maiden, and to turn my back on the company of men, until my duty has been paid with time."

Reyna then stepped forward, pulling Nessie's hair back before tying the white ribbon around her neck like a choker, representing her vow of chastity for thirty years. When she was done, Reyna gave her an encouraging smile before retaking her place. All the while, Nessie kept her eyes glued to the embers.

Was it her imagination acting up or did the fire seem to be brighter?

Octavian opened his scroll as well, taking the same amount of care that Reyna did when she opened her own, before speaking.

"Do you, Renesmee Cullen, swear to tend to the Hearth of Vesta, and as her Champion, obey her will and defend her honor, until your duty has been paid with time?"

"I, Renesmee Cullen, swear to tend to the Hearth of Vesta, and as her Champion, obey her will and defend her honor, until my duty has been paid with time."

Octavian stepped forward as well before tying the red ribbon on her neck as well, just under the white one, representing her vow to tend the Hearth of Vesta for thirty years. Octavian retook his place, and after sharing a nod with Reyna, rolled up his scroll once more, Reyna doing the same. Then, as one, they plunged the tips of the scrolls in the flames of the Hearth. They immediately caught fire, and they drew the scrolls out like torches.

"Stay still," Octavian ordered as they approached her one last time. He and Reyna then placed the lit tips into her open palms – though she expected pain, there was none. When the scrolls were pulled back, the flames remained in Nessie's palms, licking and caressing her fingers with a touch softer than that of a feather.

Then, as one, Octavian and Reyna spoke together: "This is your duty. These are the Flames of Rome; as they live and burn, so shall the legacy of Rome. But as they die, so shall Rome and Olympus. Remember your oaths, Renesmee Cullen, Champion of Vesta – for death is your reward if you fail."

As all of this happened, Renesmee's gaze into the Hearth never wavered. She remained still as a statue, shutting everything out from her mind – for now it was only her and her goddess in the flames. Even when Reyna and Octavian exited the temple, her eyes remained gazing into those of Vesta. Even when, after the War games, Mars came to claim his son, Frank Zhang, and order a quest, Vesta gazed into the eyes of her Champion. And as Apollo's Chariot set below the horizon and Diana's trek across the starry night commenced, Renesmee remained still, arms open and palms lit in flames.

And when the first rays of dawn broke the horizon, Renesmee Carlie Cullen, daughter of Edward and Isabella Cullen, Legacy of Rhea Silvia, and Champion of Hestia and Vesta, stirred from her trance, closed her palms and sheltered the Flames of Rome in her heart.

Then, smiling happily, she grabbed the iron staff and stroked the hearth, which jumped happily to mirror her smile.


End file.
